■■■^■■(■■■^■■■■■■■■■■■M 


EOSCOPE 


THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

CARROLL  ALCOTT 

PRESENTED  BY 

CARROLL  ALCOTT  MEMORIAL 
LIBRARY  FUND  COMMITTEE 


.V 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcli  ive.org/details/cliinatlirouglisterOOricaiala 


c 

H 

I 

N 

A 

T  H 

ROUGH 

THE 

S  T 

ERE 

O  S 

C  O 

P  E 

A  Journey  Through  the 
Dragon  Empire  at  the 
Time  of   the    Boxer    Uprising 

(SBE    POCKET   IN   BACK   COVER  A 
FOR      EIGHT      PATENT      MAPS  / 

PERSONALLY     CONDUCTED      BY 

JAMES    RICALTON 


PUBLISHED    BY 

UNDERWOOD  &  UNDERWOOD 

NEW  YORK.  LONDON 

OTTAWA,  KANSAS  TORONTO,  CANADA 


Copyright,  igoi,  by 

UNDERWOOD    &    UNDERWOOD 

New  York  and  London 

[Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall] 


Stereographs  copyrighted  in  the  United  States 
and  foreign  countries 


Map  System 
Patented  in  the  United  States,  August  21,  igc» 
Patented  in  Great  Britain,  March  22,  1900 
Patented  in  France,  March  96,  1900.    S.  G.  D.  G. 
Switzerland,  +  Patent  Number  2i,aii 
Patents  applied  for  in  other  countries 


All  rights  reserved 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Where  Are  We  Going 9 

How  Are  We  Going ii 

How  to  Use  Stereoscopic  Photographs 13 

ITINERARY 

1.  Britain's  Rich  Mart  of  the  Orient— Hongkong,  from  the  Harbor 19 

2.  I/Mking  across  the   Bay  to  Kowloon   and   Mainland,    from   Bowen 

Road,  above  Hongkong 23 

3.  I<ooking  Down  the  Chukiang  River  into  the  Homes  of  the  400,000  Boat 

Population  of  Canton,  China 28 

4.  A  Street  of  "  Flower  Boats,"  Places  of  Amusement  and  Debauchery, 

Canton,  China 31 

5.  Canton,  the  Vast  Metropolis  of  China— from  the  Pagoda  on  the  North- 

ern Wall 35 

6.  Panorama  Northwest  from  the  City's  Northern  Wall,  Canton,  China. .      38 

7.  lyooking  into  Shappat-[>o  Street  from  one  of  the  Nightwatch  Bridges, 

Canton,  China 39 

8.  Splendor  of  Chun-Ka-Chie,  Ancestral  Hall  of  the  Great  Chun  Family 

of  Canton,  China 42 

9.  In  the  Temple  of  500  Genii  (founded  A.D.  500)  among  its  500  Disciples 

of  Buddha,  Canton,  China 45 

10.  Examination  Hall— Rows  of  12,000  Cells — Where  the  Ku-Yan  Trien- 

nial Examinations  Occur,  Canton,  China 51 

11.  West  End  of  Shameen  Island  and  Western  Suburb  of  Canton,  China.      54 

12.  Mission  Children,  with  one    little  American  Girl,  Canton,   China — 

thousands  of  such  Massacred  by  "  Boxers  " 57 

13.  Watching  the  "  Foreign  Devils  " — Gate  of  the  English  Bridge  Barring 

the  Cantonese  from  the  I^egations,  China 60 

14.  Dying  in  the  "  Dying-Field,"  where  Discouraged  Poor  are  allowed 

to  come  to  die,  Canton,  China  62 

15.  A  Chinese  Bible  Woman — many  of  these  faithful  Teachers  have  suf- 

fered Martyrdom 64 

16.  From  the  Imperial  Bank  of  China  (N.)  alon^  Whang^poo  River,  over 

English  and  American  Quarters,  Shanghai,  China 73 

17.  I<ooking   South   into  French  Quarter  and  toward  the  Native   City, 

Shanghai,  China 76 


2218S6S 


ITINBRARY 

PAGE 

i8.    Rich  Native  Bazaars  on  Nankin  Road— Principal  Chinese  Street  of 

Shanghai,  China 80 

19.  Looking  across  Nankin  Road  to  a  Native  Tea-house,  Shanghai,  China      83 

20.  Where    Shanghai's  Wealthy  Natives   pass  the  time — Chinese  Tea- 

house, China 84 

21.  One   of    China's   most   terrible   methods   of  death    punishment — 

Shanghai 89 


22.  A  High  Caste  I<ady's  Dainty  "I,ily  Feet" — showing  method  of  de- 

formity (shoe  worn  on  great  toe  only),  China 92 

23.  At  the  Steamer  landing  just  before  sailing,  Ningpo,  China 95 

34.    Bridge  over  the  Fung  Wha  Branch  of  the  Tang  River,  Ningpo  (show- 
ing Catholic  Church),  China 97 

25.  Lumber- makers  in  a  Chinese  Sawmill,  Ningpo,  China 99 

26.  The  Dragon  guarding  the  front  of  Fukien  Guild  Hall,  Ning^w,  China    100 

27.  Colossal  Statue  of  Buddha  in  Fuchoo  Temple,  at  Ning^po,  China  104 

28.  Refinement  and  Industry  for  China's  Masses  -  Girls  making  embroid- 

ery at  South  Gate  Presbyterian  Mission  School,  Shanghai,  China. .     105 

29.  Training  of  Body,  Mind  and  Soul — Chinese  Children  at  Dumb-bell 

Bxercise,  Soutn  Gate  Presbyterian  Mission  School,  Shanghai,  China    107 

30.  "  King  of  the  Beggars  " — The  Chief  of  a  Beggar  Guild— vain  of  his 

Excessive  Raggedness — Loong  Wah,  China 115 

31.  A  Chain  Gang  in  China— In  the  Thoroughfare  wearing  "Cangues," 

which  record  their  crimes — Soo-chow,  China 119 

32.  Natives  Fishing  with  Trained  Cormorants  in  the  Grand  Canal,  Soo- 

chow,  China 132 

33.  The  Picturesque  Land  of  Confucius— Woo  Men  Bridge  and  Grand 

Imperial  Canal,  Soo-chow,  China 125 

34.  Tiger  Hill  Pagoda,  the  "  Leaning  Tower  "  of  Soo-chow  (1300  years 

old)— Full  view— China 128 

35.  Coolies  unloading  Tea  at  Hankow,  the  great  Tea  Market  of  Interior 

China 13a 

36.  View  along  the  Bund,  from  Municii>al  Council  Building,   Hankow, 

Interior  China's  greatest  Tea  Port 134 

37.  Travelling  in  Interior  China— our  House  Boat  on  a  Canal  near  Kin- 

kow  (600  miles  inland) 139 

38.  Paddy  Fields  and  Group  of  Jeering  Natives  at  Matin  (700  miles  in- 

land) ,  Kiangsi  Province,  China 154 

39.  Paddy  Fields,  Farm  Houses  and  Patches  of  Tea,  at  Matin,  Kiangsi 

Province,  among  the  Mountains  of  Interior  China 157 

40.  A  Genial  Official  of  Interior  China — Naval  Mandarin  (Admiral  River 

Fleet),  Wife  and  Daughter— Kinkow,  China 163 

41.  Huge  Stone  Figures  on  the  Avenue  leading  to  the  "Tombs  of  the 

Kings,"  Nankin,  China 168 


ITINERARY 

PAOB 

42.  Cultivated  Bamboo— a  Plantation  at  Nankin,  China 169 

43.  Cheefoo,  one  of  China's  Important  Sea-ports— from  Signal  Tower, 

looking  east 180 

44.  Missionary  Refugees  Fleeing  from  the  "  Boxers,"  landing  at  Chee- 

foo, China 182 

45.  From  Pilot's  Tower,  looking  north  across  the  Pei-ho  River  to  North- 

west Fort,  Taku,  China 186 

46.  Looking  down  the  Pei-ho  River  toward  North  Fort  and  Bay,  from 

Northwest  Fort,  Taku,  China 189 

47.  Burning  of  Tongku— U.  S.  S.  "  Monocacy  "  at  Landing,  with  Hole 

through   Bow  made  by  Chinese  Shell— China 191 

48.  Horrors    of   War— Dead   Chinese  floating    in    the  Pei-ho— showing 

riddled  buildings  along  French  Bund,  Tien-tsin,  China 196 

49.  Native  Christians  fleeing  from  the  "  Boxers  " — Chinese  Refugees  be- 

ing taken  away  from  Tien-tsin,  China 198 

50.  Chinese  Christian  Refugees   gathered  by  Father  Quilloux  into  the 

Apostolic  Mission  during  Bombardment  of  Tien-tsin,  China 200 

51.  Strange  Medley  from  many  Nations  at  the  Public  Water  Hydrant— 

during  Foreign  Occupation— Tien-tsin,  China 203 

52.  Battlefield  of  Tien-tsin  (during  the  Battle  July  13,  1900),  from  German 

Club  (W.)  to  West  Arsenal,  Tien-tsin,  China 207 

53.  From  German  Club  (W.  S.  W.)  over  Battlefield,  during  Battle  July 

13,  1900— showing  Mud  Wall  and  West  Arsenal,  Tien-tsin,  China. .     212 

54.  From  British  Concession  (K.)  to  East  Arsenal,  over  Plain  occupied 

by  Russians — during  Battle  July  13,  1900,  Tien-tsin,  China 214 

55.  From  German  Club  (N.  W.)  to  burning  Native  City,  during  progress 

of  the  Battle  July  13,  1900,  Tien-tsin,  China 216 

56.  Destructive  Guns   from  H.  M.  S.   "Terrible"  and  distant  burning 

City  fired  by  their  shells — Bombardment  of  Tien-tsin,  China 220 

57.  Columbia's  noble  Soldier  boys — as  kind-hearted  as  brave— American 

giving  water  to  wounded  Japanese  after  Battle  of  Tien-tsin,  China    222 

58.  From  Mud  Wall  near  West  Arsenal  (N. )  to  South  Gate  of  Native  City, 

where  Allies  are  entering,  July  14,  1900,  Tien-tsin,  China 223 

59.  Chinese  who  paid  War's  penalty — at  South  Gate  immediately  after 

Allit-s  entered  the  City— Battle  of  Tien-tsin,  China 225 

60.  Motley  Crowds  and  Jumbled  Huts  of  Old  Tien-tsin— view  inside  So. 

Gate  soon  after  City  was  occupied — China 227 

61.  Looking  North  from  South  Gate  over  the   burning  City,  just  after 

its  Occupation  by  the  Allies,  Tien-tsin,  China 231 

62.  Old  Tien-tsin,  showing  terrible  destruction  caused  by  bombardment 

and  fire,  China 233 

63.  Some  of  China's  Trouble-makers— "Boxer"  Prisoners  captured  and 

brought  in  by  Sixth  U.  S.  Cavalry— Tien-tsin,  China 234 


ITINERAHY 

PAOB 

64.  Wheelbarrow  Transportation — China's  best  and  cheapest  freighters 

— at  the  Boat-landing,  Tien-tsin,  China 337 

65.  Family  of  the  Lower   Class  "Chowin^"  in  their  Home,  partially 

destroyed  during  the  Siege,  Tien-tsin,  China 340 

66.  Reverent  but  prejudicial  Ancestor  Worship — one  of  China's  immense 

Cemeteries,  which  seriously  lessen  her  productive  land  area 243 

67.  Li   Hung  Chan^,  China's    greatest  Viceroy  and   Diplomat   (photo- 

g^raphed  in  his  Yamen,  Tien-tsin,  China,  Sept.  27,  1900I 246 

68.  Junk  Flotilla  on  the  Pie-ho  River— transporting  U.  S.  Army  stores 

from  Tien-tsin  to  Pekin,  China 256 

69.  West  from  Ha-ta-men  (gate)  along  huge  ancient  Wall  between  Tartar 

and  Chinese  Peltin— scene  of  a  desperate  charge  during  Siege, 
China.... 263 

70.  North  from  Ha-ta-men  (gate)  over  Scene  of  the  German  Minister 

Baron    Ketteler's   muraer— now  called    Ketteler   Street,    Pekin, 
China 268 

71.  British    Legation,    scene    of   heroic    fortitude    during  the   terrible 

siege,  from  barricaded  City  Wall,  Pekin,  China 271 

72.  One  of    the  typical    "  Freight  Trains "  of  China — looking  east  on 

Legation  Street,  at  Caravan  from  Tien-tsin  —Pekin 279 

73.  Reminders  of  the  terrible  eight  weeks'  Siege — ruins  of  French  Le- 

gation, on  Legation  Street,  Pekin,  China 279 

74.  The  bullet-scarred  American  Legation,  from  barricaded  City  Wall — 

Forbidden  City  and  Coal  Hill  in  distance — Pekin,  China 281 

75.  Ruins  around  the   Legations  burned  by  Chinese — from  Chien-men 

(gate)  where  Capt.  Reilly  was  killed— Pekin,  China.  . .   284 

76.  Busy  Markets  in  Chinese  (Southern)  Pekin — on  Kaiser  Street,  be- 

tween South  Gate  and  Chien-men  (gate),  China  285 

77.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Rooms  for   Soldiers  of  the  Allied  Armies— formerl}-  a 

notorious  dive— on  the  busiest  Street  of  Pekin,  China 287 

78.  Mei-shan  (Coal  Hill)  within  Imperial  City,  north  to  Drum  and  Bell 

Towers — Ancestral  Temples   iti  foreground — Pekin,  China 291 

79.  Looking  south  over  the  Palaces  of  the  Forbidden  City,  from  Mei-shan 

(Coal  Hill),  Pekin,  China 293 

80.  Count  Von  Waldersee,  escorted  by  Officers  of  Allied  Armies  through 

lines  of  U.  S.  Infantry,  towara  Sacred  Gate,  Pekin,  China 296 

8 1 .  Within  the  Forbidden  City —home  of  the  Empress  Dowager — Harmony 

Gate  from  elevated  walk  near  Canal,  Pekin,  China 299 

82.  Architectural   ideas   of  the   Imperial  Chinese — Building   in    Second 

Court  of  the  Forbidden  City,  Pekin,  China 301 

83.  Home  of  the   World's  most  remarkable  ruler — entrance  of  Palace 

occupied  by  China's  famous  Empress  Dowager — Forbidden  City, 
Pekin,  China        30J 

84.  Sacred  to  the  "Son  of  Heaven  "—Grand  Throne  in  the  Emperor's 

Palace,  Forbidden  City.  Pekin,  China 307 


ITINERARY 

PAOB 

85-    Typical  springless,   seatless    Chinese   Coach — looking  toward  Coal 

Hill,  in  Imperial  City,  Pekin,  China 310 

86.  Curious  Chinese  Architecture — typical  Gateway  over  a  Street  in  the 

Imj>erial  City,  Pekin,  China 313 

87.  In  the  Court  of  the  Great  I^ama  Temple — showing  I^ama  Priest  turn- 

ing Prayer- Wheel,  Pekin,  China 315 

88.  Lama  Priests  at  the  Tung-ho  Kung,  the  Great  I<ama  Temple,  Pekin, 

China 317 

89.  Imperial  Observatory,  one  of  Pekin's  famous  sights— on  the  Eastern 

Wall— China 321 

go.    Magnificent  Bronze  Astronomical  Instruments,  made  in  1674  under 

Emperor  Kanghi,  Imperial  Observatory,  Pekin,  China 323 

91.  A  Group  of  Pekinese  Women  in  the  Court  of  a  wealthy  Chinese 

House,  Pekin,  China 326 

92.  A  Group  of  Manchu  Women  with  typical  head-dress,  of  the  London 

Mission,  Pekin,  China 331 

93.  Miss  Smith,  a  Heroine  of  the  Siege,  and  protected  Refugees,  among 

the  ruins  of  the  London  Mission  Schools,  Pekin,  China 335 

94.  Wan-Shou-Shan  (Hill  of  Ten  Thousand  Ages)  Summer  Palace  of  the 

Empress,  from  Island  in  Lake  Kun-Ming-Hu,  near  Pekin,  China. .    339 

95.  Magnificent  Marble  Bridge  at  the  Imperial  Summer  Palace,  near 

Pekin,  China 341 

96.  Grand  Porcelain  Tower,  one  of  the  splendid  buildings  of  the  Imperial 

Summer  Palace,  near  Pekin,  China 343 

97.  Minister  Conger  leaving  Legation  in  his  Official  Chair — always  used 

on  official  calls,  Pekin,  China 345 

98.  Prince  Ching,  Commander  of  City  Guard  -  secret  friend  of  Legations 

during  Siege — later  Peace  Commissioner,  Pekin,   China 347 

99.  The  Empress  Dowager's  Counsellors  in  dealings  with  the  Powers — 

Members  of  the  Tsung-li  Yamen,  Pekin,  China 351 

ICX3.    Ministers  of  Foreign  Powers  During  Negotiations  with    China — 

leaving  Spanish  Legation  after  a  sitting — Pekin,  China 354 


LIST    OF    MAPS 

ALL   BOUND   IN   BOOKLET  AT  THE 
END  OF  THIS   VOLUME 


I. 

Hemispheres. 

II. 

Eastern  China. 

III. 

Hongkong  and  Vicinity. 

IV. 

Canton. 

V. 

Shanghai. 

VI. 

Taku. 

VII. 

Tien-tsin. 

VIII. 

Pekin. 

WHERE  ARE  WE  QOINQ? 

The  ancient  empires  of  Egypt,  Phoenicia,  Assyria, 
Babylon  and  Greece,  all  passed  away.  One  venerable 
contemporary  of  those  old  empires  alone  remains  to  con- 
nect the  present  with  the  hoary  dawn  of  history ;  and  this 
solitary  antique  among  the  nations  of  to-day  we  are 
now  to  visit  through  the  stereoscope.  Exaggerated 
claims  to  the  antiquity  of  Chinese  history,  identifies  the 
first  dynasty,  that  of  Fohi,  with  Noah  of  the  Bible ;  but 
more  reliable  native  historians  do  not  attempt  to  place 
authentic  records  earlier  than  iioo  B.  C.  This  was  dur- 
ing what  is  known  as  the  Chow  dynasty,  covering  the 
period  when  Homer,  Hesiod,  Zoroaster,  David  and 
Solomon  lived  and  when  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  were 
built.  At  this  time  Roman  history  was  mythical  and 
fabulous,  and  yet  Pa-out-she,  a  Chinese  scholar,  had 
completed  a  dictionary  containing  forty  thousand  char- 
acters. 

The  mariner's  compass  was  known  to  the  Chinese 
at  this  early  period.  History  also  records  that  Fong, 
a  ruler  of  this  time,  built  a  Tartar  city  in  five  days ;  that 
permanent  political  institutions  were  established  as  early 
as  800  B.  C. 

When  we  remember  that  one  of  the  oldest  and  mosf 
progressive  among  those  ancient  empires  exists  to-day 
not  essentially  altered  in  her  customs,  laws  and  institu- 
tions, what  an  interesting  study  is  therein  oflfered  to  us ! 

We  can  see  Egypt  under  the  Khedive,  but  not  under 
Rameses ;  we  have  seen  Italy  under  Victor  Emmanuel ; 


lO  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

but  we  cannot  see  Rome  under  Julius  Caesar,  nor  Greece 
in  the  time  of  Pericles.  We  know  Palestine  under  the 
Sultan ;  but  we  cannot  behold  Judea  under  Solomon. 
It  is  now  possible  for  us  to  look  upon  the  dreary  plains 
of  the  Euphrates;  but  we  can  only  read  of  the  splendor 
of  Babylon  under  Nebuchadnezzar  and  the  world-encom- 
passing Macedonian  Empire  under  Alexander  the  Great. 
To  see  life  as  it  existed  in  any  part  of  the  world  three 
thousand  years  ago  is  a  rare  privilege.  Yet  to  see  China 
is  to  turn  back  the  wheels  of  time  and  gaze  into  the 
dawn  of  human  history.  We  delight  to  stroll  through  a 
museum  of  antiquities  and  look  at  isolated  objects  that 
carry  us  back  to  former  ages.  In  China,  a  veritable 
world  of  antiquities,  relatively  associated,  moral,  social, 
literary,  political  and  industrial,  are  offered  for  our  in- 
spection. The  word  change  was  not  in  Pa-out-she's  dic- 
tionary, and  China  under  the  Manchus  is  China  under 
Chow. 

Nor  is  it  altogether  her  antiquity  that  offers  so  inter- 
esting a  subject  for  study;  she  is  at  this  time  a  puzzle 
among  the  nations,  and  promises  to  be,  in  the  future, 
a  gigantic  and  mysterious  force.  During  the  recent 
Boxer  uprising,  we  have  witnessed  this  oldest  of  the 
world's  empires,  proud  of  her  history  and  tenacious  of 
her  time-honored  civilization,  hurling  back  the  encroach- 
ments of  modernism.  None  of  the  nations  of  this  age 
are  so  little  known — so  misunderstood,  yet  so  relent- 
lessly assailed ;  but  when  she  learns  her  own  latent 
strength  and  how  to  use  it,  the  aggressive  cupidity  of  the 
Occident  may  hesitate  to  assail  her. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  visit  many  countries  in 
different  parts  of  the  world ;  twice  I  have  wandered  over 
portions  of  the  "  Flowery  Kingdom,"  and  I  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  assure  those  who  are  to  follow  me  on  this  jour- 


HOW    ARE    WE    GOING?  II 

ney  of  observation  that  nowhere  over  the  whole  world 
could  we  see  so  much  of  the  past  which  is  still  in  the 
present,  and  so  many  differences  in  conditions  of  life 
from  what  we  are  accustomed  to  see  in  our  home  sur- 
roundings. 

How  Are  We  Going? 

In  previous  journeys  I  have  seen  China  with  my  nat- 
ural eyes ;  during  this  itinerary  we  shall  see,  so  to  speak, 
with  our  stereoscopic  eyes ;  and  having  used  both  these 
media  of  sightseeing,  I  wish  to  state  to  those  not  al- 
ready familiar  with  the  genuine  realism  of  the  stereo- 
graph, that  its  power  to  produce  vivid  and  permanent 
impressions  on  the  mind  is  scarcely  less  than  that  of 
one's  natural  vision ;  that  it  gives  accuracy  in  size,  pro- 
portion, distance  and  perspective ;  and,  besides  these 
things,  it  gives  a  vivid  and  fascinating  effect  that  almost 
equals  reality  in  producing  pleasurable  sensations  and  in 
giving  a  sort  of  mental  emphasis  which  fixes  all  impres- 
sions. 

The  stereograph  tells  no  lies;  it  is  binocular — it  gives 
the  impression  that  each  eye  would  receive  on  the 
ground,  affording  essentially  perfect  vision  and  giving 
the  most  realistic  ocular  perception  attainable  in  the 
photographic  art.  The  telescope  brings  distant  objects 
apparently  near;  the  microscope  magnifies  the  appear- 
ance of  objects ;  the  stereopticon  or  magic  lantern  mag- 
nifies images  that  have  been  produced  by  monocular 
vision  (a  single  lens) — all  more  or  less  deceptive,  and 
showing  objects  only  on  a  single  plane,  while  the  stereo- 
graph virtually  projects  solid  figures  into  space  before 
us. 

Furthermore,  sight  is  our  cleverest  sense  in  the  ac- 
quisition of  knowledge ;    to  see  is  to  know.     All  princi- 


12  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

pies  of  instruction  are  being  more  and  more  based  on  a 
recognition  of  this  truism.  Any  art,  device,  or  princi- 
ple best  calculated  to  bring  objects  clearly  and  truthfully 
before  the  eyes  is,  therefore,  surely  the  best  means  of  im- 
parting instruction. 

If  you  cannot  visit  a  country  and  see  it  as  the  traveller 
does,  do  the  next  best  thing  and  see  it  through  that  mir- 
acle of  realism,  the  stereograph.  To  make  this  possible 
I  have  spent  a  year  in  the  land  through  which  you  are 
now  to  accompany  me. 

It  might  be  of  interest  to  you  to  know  that  the  begin- 
ning of  my  itinerary  in  China  follows  the  conclusion  of 
a  year  spent  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  which  was  marked 
by  all  the  vicissitudes  and  experiences  of  our  flag-plant- 
ing in  the  Orient.  When  I  reached  Manila,  scarcely  had 
the  clanking  of  the  anchor  chains  ceased  when  all  on 
board  our  ship  were  startled  by  the  sharp  popping  of 
Krags  and  Mausers  only  a  few  miles  away.  This  was 
soon  after  the  first  conflict  between  the  Americans  and 
the  insurgents ;  so  that  the  year  following  embraced  the 
most  important  events  of  our  war  in  the  Philippines, 
during  which  time  I  was  at  the  front,  not  only  in  Luzon, 
but  also  in  the  southern  islands  of  Panay  and  Cebu,  and 
made  during  that  time  nearly  nineteen  hundred  nega- 
tives representing  war,  life  and  industrial  scenes. 

Then  I  proceeded  to  China,  where  I  stereographed 
many  hundreds  of  places,  though  time  and  space  will 
permit  us  to  visit  through  the  stereoscope  only  a  single 
hundred,  and  these  will  take  us  to  some  of  the  more 
important  treaty  ports,  some  of  the  interior  cities  of 
China,  and  then  into  the  midst  of  the  Boxer  uprising, 
or  the  war  of  China  against  the  world ;  and  this,  it  is 
hoped,  will  stimulate  a  desire  to  more  fully  understand 
this  peculiar  country  and  her  people. 


HOW   TO    USE    STEREOGRAPHS.  13 

How  to  Use  Stereographs. 

a.  Experiment  with  the  sUding-rack  which  holds  the 
stereograph  until  you  find  the  distance  that  suits  the 
tocus  of  your  own  eyes.  This  distance  varies  greatly 
with  different  people. 

b.  Have  a  strong,  steady  light  on  the  stereograph. 
This  is  often  best  obtainable  by  sitting  with  the  back 
toward  window  or  lamp,  letting  the  light  fall  over  one's 
shoulder  on  the  face  of  the  stereograph. 

c.  Hold  the  stereograph  with  the  hood  close  against 
the  forehead  and  temples,  shutting  off  entirely  all  imme- 
diate surroundings.  The  less  you  are  conscious  of 
things  close  about  you  the  more  strong  will  be  your 
feeling  of  actual  presence  in  the  scenes  you  are  studying. 

d.  Make  constant  use  of  the  special  patented  maps  in 
the  back  of  this  book.  First,  read  the  statements  in  re- 
gard to  the  location  on  the  appropriate  maps,  of  a  place 
you  are  about  to  see,  so  as  to  have  already  in  mind,  when 
you  look  at  a  given  scene,  just  where  you  are  and  what 
is  before  you.  After  looking  at  the  scene  for  the  pur- 
pose of  getting  your  location  and  the  points  of  the  com- 
pass clear,  then  read  the  explanatory  comments  on  it. 
You  will  like  to  read  portions  of  the  text  again  after 
once  looking  at  the  stereograph,  and  then  return  to  the 
view.  Repeated  returns  to  the  text  may  be  desirable 
where  there  are  many  details  to  be  discovered.  But  read 
through  once  the  text  that  bears  on  the  location  of  each 
stereograph  before  taking  up  the  stereograph  in  ques- 
tion; in  this  way  you  will  know  just  where  you  are,  and 
the  feeling  of  actual  presence  on  the  ground  will  be 
much  more  real  and  satisfactory.  On  the  maps  you  will 
find  given  the  exact  location  of  each  successive  stand- 
point (at  the  apex  of  the  red  V  in  most  cases)  and  the 
exact  range  of  the  view  obtained  from  that  standpoint 


14  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

(shown  in  each  case  by  the  space  included  between  the 
spreading  arms  of  the  V).  The  map  system  is  admir- 
ably clear  and  satisfactory,  giving  an  accurate  idea  of 
the  progress  of  the  journey  and  really  making  one  feel, 
after  a  little,  quite  at  ;home  among  the  streets  of  Can- 
ton and  Pekin. 

e.  Go  slowly.  Tourists  are  often  reproached  for  their 
tiervously  hurried  and  superficial  ways  of  glancing  at 
sights  in  foreign  lands.  Travel  by  means  of  stereo- 
graphs encourages  leisurely  and  thoughtful  enjoyment 
of  whatever  is  worth  enjoying.  You  may  linger  as  long 
as  you  like  in  any  particularly  interesting  spot,  without 
fear  of  being  left  behind  by  train  or  steamboat.  Indeed, 
you  may  return  to  the  same  spot  as  many  times  as  you 
like  without  any  thought  of  repeated  expense!  Herein 
lies  one  of  the  chief  delights  of  China-in-stereographs — 
its   easy  accessibility. 


CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

"  I  felt  I  was  right  on  the  spot,"  said  a  man,  as  he  leaned 
back  in  his  chair  and  took  his  head  from  the  stereoscope 
in  which  he  had  been  looking  along  the  crowded  wharves 
of  Canton.  Though  one  might  not  at  first  think  so,  this 
remark  was  descriptive  of  the  facts  of  this  man's  experi- 
ence. Let  us  see  if  we  cannot  show  in  a  few  minutes  that 
this  is  true. 

It  is  now  being  recognized  that  with  the  proper  atten- 
tion and  the  appropriate  helps,  maps,  etc.,  a  person  can 
obtain  in  the  stereoscope  a  definite  sense  or  experience  of 
geographical  location  in  that  part  of  the  earth  he  sees  rep- 
resented before  him.  Moreover,  it  is  recognized  that  to 
get  this  sense  of  location  means  that  we  have  gained  not 
merely  the  same  visual  impressions  in  all  essential  respects 
that  we  would  gain  if  there  in  body,  but  also  part  of  the 
very  same  feelings  we  would  experience  there;  the  only 
difference  in  the  feelings  being  one  of  quantity  or  intensity, 
not  of  kind. 

But  some  one  objects  probably  that  this  man's  experi- 
ence in  connection  with  the  stereoscope  could  not  have 
been  a  real  experience  of  being  in  Canton,  because  it  was 
not  the  real  Canton  before  him. 

But  what  would  be  this  man's  object  in  going  as  a 
traveller  to  Canton  ?    As  a  traveller  he  certainly  does  not 


1 6  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

go  to  possess  himself  of  that  city's  material  buildings  and 
streets.  No  traveller  brings  any  material  houses  or  fields 
back  with  him.  No,  the  object  of  the  traveller  in  going  so 
far,  at  the  cost  of  so  much  time  and  trouble,  is  to  get  cer- 
tain experiences  of  being  in  China.  It  is  not  the  land,  but 
the  experiences  he  is  after. 

This  makes  it  clear,  then,  that  in  whatever  place  he 
stands  he  is  concerned  with  two  kinds  of  realities.  First 
the  earth,  people,  trees,  the  realities  of  the  physical  world ; 
second,  the  states  of  his  consciousness,  made  up  of 
thoughts,  emotions,  desires,  the  realities  of  his  mental  or 
soul  life.  The  physical  realities  which  are  so  often  thought 
of  as  the  only  realities,  serve  simply  as  the  means  of  in- 
ducing the  states  of  consciousness,  the  mental  reality,  the 
end  sought. 

Now  it  will  be  easier  to  understand  how  it  is  possible  for 
us  to  be  dealing  with  genuine  experiences  of  travel  in  the 
stereoscope.  For  we  can  see  that  proving  there  is  no  real 
Canton  before  a  man  in  the  stereoscope  does  not  prove 
there  is  no  real  soul  state  within  him,  no  genuine  experi- 
ence of  being  in  Canton.  "  In  the  stereoscope  we  are 
dealing  with  realities,  but  they  are  the  realities  of  soul 
states,  not  the  realities  of  outward  physical  things."  We 
cannot  see  too  clearly,  then,  that  on  this  stereoscopic  tour, 
we  may  have  real  experiences  of  being  in  China.* 

But  to  get  these  experiences  in  connection  with  the  rep- 


*  Send  for  our  booklets,  "  Light  on  Stereoirraphs "  and  "The  Stereoscope  and 
Stereoscopic  Photographs,'*  jby  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes.  See  article,  "Extraor- 
dinary Results  from  Stereoscopic  Photographs,"  in  the  magazine  The  Sttreo- 
scopic  Photography  March,  1902. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  1 7 

resentation  of  a  place  in  the  stereoscope,  certain  conditions 
must  be  observed.  We  must  look  intently  and  with  some 
thought,  not  only  of  the  location  of  what  is  before  us,  but 
also  of  what  exists,  though  we  do  not  see  it,  on  our  right 
or  left  or  behind  us.  We  certainly  could  not  expect  to 
gain  a  definite  consciousness  or  experience  of  location  in 
any  place,  unless  we  knew  where  that  place  was  and  what 
were  its  surroundings. 

To  give  people  this  knowledge  in  connection  with  the 
stereograph,  a  new  map  system  has  been  devised  and  pat- 
ented. There  are  eight  maps  and  plans  made  according  to 
this  system  and  found  in  the  back  of  this  book  which  are 
to  be  used  on  our  complete  China  tour. 

Turning  to  Map  No.  i,  we  find  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the 
world  in  two  hemispheres.  The  position  of  the  Chinese 
Empire  is  outlined  in  red  on  the  Eastern  Hemisphere, 
showing  us  its  relation  to  the  various  land  and  water  por- 
tions of  the  world.  Opening  now  Map  No.  2,  we  find  in 
outline  the  eastern  part  of  China,  from  French  or  Indo- 
China  on  the  south  to  Russian  Siberia  on  the  north.  Here 
we  can  get  in  mind  our  general  route.  The  first  place  we 
are  to  visit  is  Hongkong,  found  on  the  seacoast  in  the 
most  southern  part  of  the  Empire.  The  red  line  which 
starts  from  this  city  and  extends  toward  the  north  along 
the  seacoast,  and  into  the  country  at  several  points,  indi- 
cates the  route  we  are  to  follow.  Noting  this  route  more 
carefully  now,  from  Hongkong  we  are  to  proceed  inland 
one  hundred  miles  to  Canton ;  returning,  we  shall  then  go 
along  the  coast  nearly  a  thousand  miles  to   Shanghai. 


1 8  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

From  Shanghai  we  shall  take  a  special  trip  to  Ningpo, 
over  one  hundred  miles  south,  to  Soo-chow,  fifty  miles 
northeast,  and  then  to  Hankow,  six  hundred  miles  up  the 
Yang-tse-Kiang.  From  that  great  inland  tea  port  of 
China,  we  go  one  hundred  miles  south  into  the  country  to 
Matin.  On  our  return  trip  down  the  Yang-tse-Kiang,  we 
stop  at  Kinkow  and  Nankin,  Reaching  the  coast  again, 
our  next  stop  is  at  Cheefoo,  nearly  five  hundred  miles 
north.  After  Cheefoo,  we  proceed  directly  to  the  seat  of 
war  operations  of  the  allied  nations  against  China  at 
Taku,  Tien-tsin  and  Pekin.  The  rectangles  in  red  on  this 
Map  No.  2  indicate  the  sections  of  the  country  given  on  a 
larger  scale  on  special  maps. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  I9 


HONGKONG. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  first  of  the  special  maps,  Map 
No.  3,  which  covers  the  territory  from  Hongkong  to  Can- 
ton. Here  we  can  tell  with  definiteness  where  we  are  to 
stand  first  in  China.  Find  the  island  of  Hongkong  and 
the  city  of  Victoria  or  of  Hongkong  on  its  northern  side, 
in  the  lower  right-hand  portion  of  the  map.  Note  the 
number  i,  in  a  circle,  both  in  red,  above  the  island  of 
Hongkong.  From  this  encircled  number,  a  zigzag  line 
runs  to  the  apex  of  two  red  lines  which  branch  toward  the 
west,  or  slightly  south  of  west.  We  are  to  stand  now  at 
the  apex  of  those  lines,  on  board  a  ship  in  the  harbor  of 
Hongkong,  and  look  to  that  part  of  the  city  which  the  lines 
inclose. 

I.    Britain's  Rich  Mart  of  the  Orient— Hongkong  from 
the  Harbor. 

We  are  on  the  upper  deck  of  one  of  the  many  steamers 
that  ride  at  anchor  in  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Hongkong, 
and  there  we  see  before  us  in  the  distance,  at  the  base  of 
that  dark,  green  mountain  side,  the  city  of  Victoria,  gener- 
ally called  Hongkong,  after  the  island  on  which  it  is  situ- 
ated. We  are  not,  however,  yet  in  China.  We  are  look- 
ing southwest  and  the  mainland  lies  on  our  right,  distant 
only  a  mile  or  two,  and  which  we  shall  soon  see  from  the 
slope  of  the  mountain  in  front  of  us.     A  little  to  the  left 


20  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

of  the  highest  point  of  that  somber  elevation  floats  the 
English  flag,  that  grand  old  symbol  of  our  fatherland,  on 
which,  you  know,  the  sun  never  sets.  Only  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  island  is  within  the  range  of  our  vision.  To 
our  left,  the  city  skirts  the  base  of  the  rugged  mountain 
for  several  miles ;  and  should  we  follow  the  winding  and 
irregular  coast  line  and  complete  a  circuit  of  the  island,  it 
would  require  a  journey  of  over  thirty  miles;  and  should 
we  ascend  that  dark  green  slope  by  cable  tramway  or  by 
winding  shady  path,  a  climb  of  two  thousand  feet  would 
be  rewarded  by  a  panorama  scarcely  surpassed  in  the 
whole  world.  The  summit  of  that  mountain  island  is  a 
maze  of  peaks  and  dells  dotted  everywhere  with  cozy  villas 
of  the  wealthy  who  find  there  a  cool  and  healthful  retreat 
from  the  languishing  summer  heat  of  the  city  below. 

But  before  giving  further  attention  to  this  city,  let  us  be 
sure  we  have  a  definite  consciousness  of  our  surroundings 
in  this  part  of  the  world.  Remember  we  are  looking 
somewhat  south  of  west  here.  Then  by  reference  to  the 
maps  we  can  see  that  the  great  mass  of  China  lies  off  to 
our  right,  stretching  away  for  over  two  thousand  miles. 
Directly  before  us,  six  hundred  miles  distant,  is  French  or 
Indo-China,  and  further  in  that  direction  is  Siam  and  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  Singapore  being  nearly  fifteen  hundred 
miles  away.  Luzon,  the  northernmost  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  lies  over  six  hundred  miles  sharply  to  our  left. 
Back  of  us  is  Formosa,  about  four  hundred  miles  away, 
while  Tokio,  Japan,  is  one  thousand  miles  beyond  For- 
mosa.    San  Francisco  is  nearly  six  thousand  miles  distant 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  21 

behind  us  and  over  our  left  shoulder.  Now,  with  a  clearer 
sense  of  our  location  in  this  part  of  the  earth,  we  will  give 
further  attention  to  this  place  immediately  before  us. 

Hongkong  is  a  British  crown  colony  and  was  a  "  volun- 
tary "  cession  from  China  made  sixty  years  ago,  in  settle- 
ment of  trade  difficulties  between  the  two  countries  which 
had  extended  over  a  period  of  two  hundred  years.  It  is 
now  the  most  important  entrepot  of  the  far  East,  with  a 
native  population  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  and 
about  twelve  thousand  Europeans. 

That  water  front,  which  you  see,  is  lined  with  commodi- 
ous modern  office  buildings,  granite  quays  and  landing 
stages,  around  which  queer  native  boats  called  sampans, 
manned  by  native  women,  ply  their  trade  of  carrying  pas- 
sengers from  point  to  point. 

In  the  center  of  our  field  of  vision  a  distant  mountain 
peeps  over  the  shoulder  of  Victoria  Peak.  It  is  Mount 
Davis,  nearly  nine  hundred  feet  high,  and  around 
its  base  is  a  Chinese  cemetery.  Between  Mount  Davis  and 
the  sea,  on  a  gentle  slope  facing  the  northeast,  thousands 
of  little  mounds,  designated  by  simple  board  tablets,  indi- 
cate the  burial  place  of  the  victims  of  the  bubonic  plague 
which  has  prevailed  for  many  years  in  this  city.  The 
cemetery  is  not  an  attractive  resort.  Neither  the  friends 
of  the  victims  buried  there  nor  leisure  strollers  are  ever 
seen  near  the  silent  hillside;  there  even  the  dead  menace 
the  lives  of  the  living. 

On  the  roof  of  this  little  house  directly  before  us,  in 
which  John  "  makee  washee,  washee,"  we  see  squatted 


2  2  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

three  coolies  in  the  characteristic  position  of  the  lower 
classes,  not  only  of  China,  but  of  many  other  Oriental 
countries.  If  the  classification  of  men  were  made  on  the 
same  plan  as  that  of  birds  by  ornithologists,  these  fellows 
would  be  styled  perchers ;  for,  whether  eating,  smoking, 
resting,  or  in  social  confab,  they  are  always  in  this  couch- 
ant  and  ungraceful  pose. 

We  can  see  three  large,  new  buildings  on  the  quay,  fac- 
ing the  harbor ;  the  farthest  of  those  buildings  was  a  place 
of  much  importance  during  the  Spanish-American  war. 
It  is  the  Cable  building,  and  it  was  to  that  place  that  all 
war  dispatches  were  brought  for  transmission  after  the 
cable  was  cut  in  the  bay  of  Manila. 

We  shall  go  ashore  in  a  sampan,  most  likely  sculled  by  a 
Chinese  mother  with  a  babe  tied  at  her  back.  We  shall 
land  near  those  same  buildings  and  follow  a  well-paved 
street  toward  the  mountain  side.  The  second  street  we 
pass,  Queen's  Road,  the  chief  thoroughfare,  is  almost  im- 
passable at  times,  so  full  is  it  with  darting  jinrikishas  and 
sedan  chairs,  borne  by  chair  coolies.  We  ascend  the 
mountain  slope  along  beautiful  walks  and  through 
botanical  gardens  embowered  in  every  species  of  tropical 
palm  and  tree-fern,  and  past  well  kept  lawns  studded  with 
bright  flower  beds,  until  we  have  reached  an  elevation  of 
nearly  a  thousand  feet  somewhat  farther  to  the  left  than 
we  can  see,  when  we  turn  about  and  from  our  elevated 
viewpoint  look  back  in  this  direction  upon  the  busiest  and 
most  beautiful  harbor  of  the  Orient.  This  new  position  is 
given  on  the  map  of  Hongkong  and  vicinity  by  the  two  red 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  2$ 

lines  that  branch  north  from  the  island,  each  having  the 
number  2  at  its  end. 

2.    Itooking  Across  the  Bay  to  Kowloon  and  Main- 
land from  Bowen  Road,  above  Hongkong. 

Now  we  obtain  our  first  sight  of  the  main-land  of  China, 
but  scarcely  yet  do  we  see  Chinese  territory,  for  all  that 
portion  of  the  mainland  now  within  our  view  is  under  the 
British  flag,  England  having  in  recent  years  leased  for  a 
period  of  ninety-nine  years  (which  an  Englishman  knows 
means  forever)  a  peninsula  embracing  many  square  miles 
of  territory,  and  extending  many  miles  beyond  those  rocky 
mountains.  The  military  and  naval  defenses  of  Hong- 
kong would  be  quite  insecure  unless  England  held  adja- 
cent lands  on  the  mainland  shore  before  us.  To  the  right 
and  to  the  left  of  those  bold  barren  mountains  are  sheltered 
bays  from  which  a  foreign  fleet  with  modern  guns  could 
hurl  monstrous  projectiles  to  the  very  spot  on  which  we 
stand.  Mirs  Bay,  that  memorable  retreat  of  Admiral 
Dewey,  when  compelled  by  the  enforcement  of  England's 
neutrality  to  leave  the  port  of  Hongkong,  is  only  ten  miles 
away,  just  behind  those  mountains  to  the  right.  We  are 
now  looking  a  little  to  the  east  of  north. 

If  we  now  look  down  to  the  harbor  before  us  we  may 
see,  quite  to  the  right  and  farthest  away,  the  long  black 
cargo  ship  on  which  we  stood  when  we  obtained  our  first 
view,  and  a  little  nearer  we  see  a  large  white  mastless  hull 
roofed  over  and  anchored  fore  and  aft;  that  is  a  naval  re- 


24  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

ceiving  ship  of  the  station,  to  which  naval  men  and  officers 
are  brought  when  transfers  are  to  be  made. 

A  little  nearer  we  see  a  long,  rakish,  crouching,  de- 
moniacal looking  craft  with  a  skulking  lowness  in  the  wa- 
ter. Her  appearance  betrays  her — she  is  a  torpedo  boat.  In 
the  center  of  our  field  of  vision  we  see  a  large  white  ship 
with  three  funnels ;  her  lines  indicate  other  purposes  than 
the  pursuit  of  commerce.  She  is  plainly  a  warship.  Our 
field  of  vision  embraces  only  a  narrow  space  across  the 
channel ;  throughout  its  full  length  there  are  seldom  fewer 
than  fifteen  or  twenty  of  these  grim  arbiters  anchored  in 
this  focus  of  Oriental  commerce,  and  they  are  mostly  Eng- 
lish.    What  a  wonderful  country  is  England ! 

Across  the  harbor  immediately  before  us,  and  to  the 
right  of  the  projecting  headland,  are  situated  the  city 
and  harbor  of  Kowloon,  at  which  are  dry  docks  that 
will  accommodate  the  largest  warships.  We  can  faint- 
ly see  the  docks  across  that  small  bay  beyond  a  sharp 
point  of  land,  to  the  right  of  the  city.  It  was  there 
that  several  of  the  Spanish  warships  destroyed  by 
our  fleet  in  Manila  Bay  were  taken  for  reconstruc- 
tion under  the  supervision  of  the  brave  hero  of  the 
"  Merrimac,"  Lieutenant  Hobson.  The  water  front  at 
Kowloon  is  lined  with  piers  to  accommodate  the  largest 
ocean  ships.  It  is  out  there  at  Kowloon  that  all  cargoes  to 
and  from  distant  ports  are  loaded  and  discharged.  Vast 
storehouses,  or  ''  godowns  "  as  they  are  named  in  the  East, 
to  accommodate  transshipment,  are  ranged  near  the  piers. 
It  is  estimated  that  the  actual  trade  of  the  European  col- 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  25 

ony,  exclusive  of  the  cargoes  which  pass  through  this  port 
without  breaking  bulk,  is  over  100,000,000  pounds  per 
annum.  Many  passenger  steamers  for  Europe  and 
America  coal  and  embark  passengers  from  the  docks  at 
Kowloon ;  but  the  boats  of  the  Pacific  Mail,  the  Canadian 
Pacific  and  most  of  the  great  lines  for  Europe  receive  and 
discharge  their  cargoes  and  embark  and  debark  passengers 
at  their  anchorage  in  the  harbor,  which  extends  a  mile  or 
more  on  either  hand  in  the  bay  between  us  and  the  oppo- 
site shore.  The  harbor  front  at  Kowloon  presents  a  busy 
scene;  rail-trucks  are  constantly  thundering  back  and 
forth  between  the  long  piers  and  the  godowns,  coolies,  in 
long  lines,  waddling  under  heavy  loads  carried  on  bamboo 
poles,  pass  to  and  fro  uttering  a  weird,  rhythmical  cry 
which  they  think  helps  to  dispel  a  consciousness  of  physical 
burden.  At  frequent  intervals  small  steam  ferry-boats 
ply  between  Hongkong  and  Kowloon,  carrying  first-class 
passengers  at  five-cent  fares  and  second-class  at  half  that 
amount.  I  must  remind  you,  however,  that  the  busy  com- 
mercial port  we  see  across  the  bay  is  not  the  native  city  of 
Kowloon.  What  we  see  is  chiefly  the  result  of  England's 
commercial  development.  A  water-front  embracing  about 
three  square  miles  was  here  added  to  the  colony  of  Hong- 
kong thirty-five  years  ago.  Before  this  section  was  ceded 
to  the  English,  it  had  been  a  haunt  for  smugglers  and  all 
the  lawless  rabble  around  about.  A  few  miles  out  among 
those  low  hills  a  granite  bowlder  marks  the  place  of  the 
surrender  of  the  last  of  the  Taipings. 

The  native  city  of  the  same  name  is  hidden  among  the 


26  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

low  hills  three  miles  distant  and  a  little  to  our  right.  The 
native  Kowloon  is  a  typical  old  Chinese  city  of  low  one- 
story  buildings  with  tile  roofs  and  surrounded  by  a  dilapi- 
dated brick  wall. 

Those  mountains  in  the  distance  are  rocky  and  barren  as 
is  frequently  the  case  near  the  sea-coast;  but  beyond  are 
many  fertile  and  well-cultivated  valleys  producing  rice, 
sugar-cane,  sweet  potatoes,  garden  fruits  and  vegetables. 
In  some  portions  of  this  peninsula  that  curious  nut  or 
fruit,  sometimes  seen  in  our  markets,  called  the  lichee,  is 
abundantly  produced.  Along  that  mountain  range  to  the 
left,  distinctly  visible  from  positions  near  us,  is  a  long  line 
of  excavation  that  shows  the  beginning  of  a  railroad  that 
is  to  connect  Hongkong  and  Canton. 

When  we  looked  at  Hongkong  from  the  ship  your  atten- 
tion was  called  to  three  buildings,  one  containing  the  cable 
office;  those  buildings  are  again  before  us,  down  by  the 
harbor.  On  the  left  is  the  Cable  building.  A  little  fur- 
ther to  the  left,  just  to  the  right  of  the  tree  before  us,  and 
about  half  way  to  the  Cable  building,  is  St.  John's  Prot- 
estant Cathedral,  a  pretty  building  erected  over  fifty  years 
ago,  with  a  seating  capacity  for  eight  hundred.  And  be- 
low us  to  the  left  of  the  tree  we  see  the  spire  of  the  Union 
Church,  erected  two  years  before  the  former  and  seating 
about  five  hundred  people.  Looking  at  European  churches 
in  the  Far  East  naturally  reminds  one  of  schools.  Much 
encouragement  has  been  given  in  that  direction  in  Hong- 
kong, and  the  Chinese  inhabitants  are  quite  alive  to  the  im- 
portance of  education.     Nearly  nine  thousand  children  are 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  2^ 

in  attendance  at  the  public  schools.  I  once  visited  a  native 
school  here.  When  approaching  the  schoolhouse  I  was 
amazed  at  the  great  volume  of  vocal  noise  proceeding 
from  within  the  schoolroom.  On  entering  I  soon  learned 
that  all  the  pupils  were  studying  aloud,  and  very  loud.  I 
asked  the  teacher,  who  spoke  intelligible  English,  if 
Chinese  pupils  always  study  in  this  fashion.  He  replied 
that  "  Chinamen  believe  study  muchee  loud  remember 
more  better."  This  is  a  thought  for  the  teacher  who  is 
fond  of  hearing  a  "  pin  drop,"  and  a  plea  for  the  boy  who 
isn't. 

Within  a  few  feet  of  us  we  see  some  of  the  vegetation  on 
the  mountain-side,  and  sections  of  the  occasional  pine- 
trees.  My  native  boy  supports  himself  against  one  as  he 
also  scans  the  panorama.  I  do  not  now  remember  whether 
his  back  presentation  was  from  choice  or  necessity,  because 
sometimes  the  lower  classes  can  be  induced  to  present  their 
backs  to  the  camera  when  vast  sums  of  money  would  not 
induce  them  to  face  that  dire  instrument  of  evil,  believing 
that  when  their  faces  are  photographed  a  part  of  their 
identity  is  forever  lost  to  them,  and  this  becomes  a  serious 
matter  in  their  ancestral  worship. 


a8  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 


CANTON. 

We  have  seen  the  mainland  of  China  from  Hongkong. 
We  shall  return  again  to  the  harbor,  pass  along  the  water- 
front to  the  left  for  a  half-mile,  and  board  a  steamer  for 
Canton,  distant  about  seventy-five  miles.  After  landing  at 
Canton  we  shall  go  a  short  distance  above  the  landing- 
place  to  the  Imperial  Custom  House,  from  the  roof  of 
which  we  shall  look  back  down  the  river  over  the  route 
from  Hongkong. 

Let  us  turn  to  the  special  map  of  Canton,  Map  No.  4, 
where  we  find  our  position  and  field  of  vision  shown  by 
the  red  lines  which  start  from  near  the  river  and  branch 
toward  the  right.  The  number  3  is  found  near  the  apex 
and  at  the  ends  of  these  lines. 

3.    I^ooking  down  the  Cbnkiang  River  into  the  Homes 
of  the  400,000  Boat  Population  of  Canton. 

There  is  the  Chukiang  or  Pearl  River  leading  down  to 
Hongkong.  We  are  looking  directly  east  now.  Our 
large  side-wheel  steamer  lies  still  at  her  dock.  Two 
steamers  of  this  class,  besides  several  other  boats  that 
carry  freight  and  a  few  passengers,  ply  daily  between 
Canton  and  Hongkong.  T.hese  side-wheel  boats  are  of 
European  construction  and  are  quite  similar  to  those  that 
ply  between  New  York  and  Albany  on  the  Hudson  River. 
They  have  accommodations  for  first-class  European  pas- 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  29 

sengers  and  a  separate  accommodation  for  first-class  na- 
tive passengers,  besides  an  entire  lower  deck  for  the  sec- 
ond-class Chinese,  who  are  carried  between  the  two  ports 
at  fifty-cent  fares;  first-class  natives  are  carried  for  one 
dollar,  while  European  travellers  are  charged  at  the  civil- 
ized rate  of  eight  dollars  for  the  same  short  passage. 

We  are  looking  due  east,  and  the  water  before  us  is  only 
one  branch  of  the  Canton  or  Pearl  River.  The  land  on 
the  right  of  the  steamer  is  an  island  five  or  six  miles  long, 
and  beyond  it  is  another  broad  affluent  of  the  Canton 
River.  That  island  on  the  right  bank  is  densely  populated 
and  forms  an  important  suburb  to  the  city  of  Canton, 
which  lies  on  the  north  bank  and  extends  several  miles  in 
every  direction  from  our  point  of  view. 

The  scene  before  us  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  fea- 
tures of  the  myriad  life  of  China's  greatest  commercial 
city.  As  far  as  our  sight  can  reach  we  see  boats;  these 
boats  are  homes  in  which  millions  of  human  beings  have 
been  born,  have  lived  and  have  died;  and  in  many  cases 
without  ever  having  set  foot  on  land.  It  has  been  esti- 
mated that  in  these  floating  homes  from  two  hundred  and 
fifty  to  four  hundred  thousand  lives  are  daily  rising  and 
falling  with  the  tide. 

The  inhabitants  of  these  floating  dwellings  are  called 
Tankia,  which  means  boat-dwellers ;  their  ancestors  were 
also  amphibians.  They  are  looked  upon  as  a  class  below  the 
land  people,  and  they  have  many  customs  peculiar  to  them- 
selves. Their  house-boats  range  in  size  from  fifteen  feet 
to  fifty  and  sixty  feet  in  length.     It  has  been  estimated 


30  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

that  eighty-five  thousand  of  these  boats  are  about  Canton 
and  that,  of  this  number,  forty  thousand  are  permanently 
located.  On  many  of  them  pigs  and  chickens  are  reared, 
and  in  many  cases  when  the  smallness  of  the  boat  does  not 
afford  deck  space  for  such  stock,  a  box  or  cage  is  sus- 
pended from  the  stem  to  serve  as  a  pig-pen  or  a  chicken- 
coop.  This  way  of  securing  comparatively  free  home- 
steads has  seldom  occurred  to  the  poor  of  other  countries. 
For  centuries  the  Chinese  have  used  boats  for  dwellings, 
and  having  a  free  anchorage  their  building  sites  cost  noth- 
ing. A  house-boat  that  will  accommodate  a  moderate- 
sized  family  can  be  obtained  for  twenty  dollars.  A  house 
for  twenty  dollars  and  a  free  site  surpass  all  Western 
residential  economics ;  but  for  one  hundred  dollars  a  boat 
almost  luxurious  in  appointments,  according  to  the  Tan- 
kia's  order  of  life,  can  be  obtained. 

Most  of  the  boats  we  can  see  here  are  small.  A  thatch 
of  palm  leaves  or  a  cover  of  matting  over  a  portion  of  each 
boat  protects  the  occupants  from  sun  and  rain  and  serves 
as  an  eating  and  sleeping  place.  We  speak  of  limitation 
of  space,  as  things  "in  a  nutshell,"  but  here  in  the  small 
compass  of  a  fifteen-foot  boat  there  are  births,  deaths  and 
funerals ;  there  are  henneries  and  pig-pens,  and  even 
flower-gardening,  particularly  on  the  larger  boats,  where 
considerable  space  in  the  bow  is  set  apart  for  flower-pots. 

Sometimes  European  travellers  who  wish  to  make  a 
prolonged  sojourn  in  the  vicinity  of  Canton,  and  do  not 
care  to  pay  the  high  prices  charged  in  the  one  hotel,  hire  a 
comfortable  house-boat  which  can  be  had  for  one  dollar 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  31 

per  day.  In  that  case  the  native  owners  occupy  a  small 
space  in  the  bow,  where  all  cooking  is  done  for  the  trav- 
eller without  extra  cost,  with  the  additional  advantage  of 
free  transportation  to  any  point  on  the  river. 

One  naturally  wonders  how  this  swarming  population 
of  river-dwellers  is  maintained,  and  the  answer  is  chiefly 
by  transporting  merchandise  and  by  carrying  passengers 
from  place  to  place.  In  some  cases  daughters  go  ashore 
to  work  in  factories  as  girls  do  in  other  countries ;  but  the 
factory  girl's  annual  income  in  China  would  scarcely  buy 
an  American  girl's  hat. 

On  that  dock  between  the  steamers  and  the  shore  you 
see  several  huge  casks ;  if  you  were  on  board  the  steamer 
you  would  find  many  of  these  filled  with  water  and  alive 
with  large  and  beautiful  fish  for  the  Hongkong  market, 
where  they  are  delivered  alive. 

Down  the  river  beyond  the  steamer  and  before  reaching 
that  dark  group  of  buildings  we  can  see  several  ranges  of 
larger  boats  extending  from  mid-stream  toward  the  shore 
on  the  left.  Out  there  we  shall  see  floating  dwellings  of 
more  beautiful  construction.  From  those  boats  called 
"  flower-boats  "'  we  shall  look  toward  the  city,  on  our  left 
here.  On  the  Map  No.  4  the  red  lines  connected  with  the 
number  4  show  the  relation  between  our  two  positions. 

4.    A    Street   of  Flower-boats— Places    of  Amusement 
and  Debancbery,  Canton. 

We  stand  on  the  upper  deck  or  roof  of  one  of  these 
boats  and  look  northward  toward  the  shore  and  over  the 


32  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

city.  A  range  of  flower-boats  lies  between  us  and  the 
shore.  These  may  be  called  the  summer-gardens  of  Can- 
ton. They  are  often  gorgeously  furnished  within;  the 
woodwork  is  carved;  the  walls  are  hung  with  pictures 
and  embroideries;  wall  mirrors  duplicate  all  objects  of 
ornamentation;  the  furniture  is  inlaid  with  mother-of- 
pearl;  flowers,  both  natural  and  artificial,  furnish  an 
abundance  of  color ;  and  every  night  these  popular  resorts 
are  filled  with  seekers  after  pleasure  and  recreation.  The 
opium  smoker  with  his  seductive  pipe  comes  here  to  dispel 
his  cares  with  this  insidious  narcotic ;  the  gambler  comes 
to  these  flower-boats  to  try  his  fortune  at  fan-tan  or  other 
Chinese  games,  for  gambling  is  one  of  China's  national 
vices. 

Although  the  Chinese  are  an  industrious  race,  they 
often  have  an  excess  of  leisure,  and  too  much  leisure  al- 
ways creates  a  desire  for  a  pastime  or  for  pleasure  resorts 
— "  An  idle  brain  is  the  devil's  workshop."  As  our  idlers 
repair  to  a  saloon  or  a  summer-garden,  so  the  Chinese 
idlers,  as  well  as  Chinese  professional  chance  men,  come 
to  these  flower-boats  to  win  at  cards,  at  dominoes,  or  dice. 
The  passion  for  gambling  is  universal,  and  the  stereotyped 
invitation  "  Buy  a  chance  and  get  rich,"  is  heard  every- 
where. So  the  gaudy  interiors  of  these  floating  dens  of 
vice  are  nightly  filled  with  sharpers,  with  idlers,  with 
gamblers  and  desperate  characters. 

Most  travellers  and  tourists  who  come  to  Canton  seldom 
spend  more  than  two  or  three  days  in  visiting  the  various 
places  of  interest.     Many  come  on  the  morning  steamer 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  33 

and  return  to  Hongkong  by  the  night  boat  of  the  same 
day.  It  is  not  a  desirable  place  for  a  long  sojourn. 
There  is  so  much  that  is  repellent  besides  the  exorbitant 
prices  of  poor  hotels  that  a  single  day  may  satisfy  the 
sightseer;  naturally,  therefore,  there  is  a  set  number  of 
places  to  be  visited  in  a  limited  time,  and  one  of  these 
places  is  the  flower-boats.  A  question  one  constantly 
hears  at  the  hotel  is,  "  Have  you  been  to  the  flower- 
boats  ?  "  They  have  a  sort  of  Monte  Carlo  notoriety  that 
makes  them  an  object  of  interest  to  all  travellers. 

These  boats  cost  from  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  are  generally  owned  by  the  men  in  charge  of 
them.  At  night  these  boats  are  illuminated  brilliantly 
with  lamps  and  lanterns,  and  patrons  come  and  go  by 
boats  and  along  those  projecting  bows.  Then  they  are 
not  safe  places  to  visit  unless  accompanied  by  a  guide; 
but  during  the  day  they  are  vacated  except  by  the  owners 
and  their  families  whom  we  see  engaged  in  their  daily 
routine  of  putting  their  boats  in  order  for  another  night's 
round  of  feasting,  gambling  and  dissipation.  One  woman 
is  whipping  the  dust  from  chair  and  settee  cushions.  Two 
girls  have  spied  us  and  are  gazing  quizzically  at  our 
strange  manner  and  appearance.  A  little  beyond,  a  dame 
with  her  back  toward  us  is  delivering  the  morning  gossip 
to  her  neighbors  on  the  next  boat,  while  her  liege  by  her 
side,  with  "  turned-up  pantaloons,"  is  on  daily  avocations 
bent. 

Beyond  the  small  house-boat  two  men  in  characteristic 
crouching  pose  are  plainly  watching  the  "  foreign  devils  " 


34  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

and  commenting  thereon  in  a  foul  sarcasm  only  possible 
among  Chinese.  We  see  near  the  same  place  a  woman 
perched  on  the  roof;  we  can  see  another  in  the  distance. 
With  us  "  Time  is  money,"  with  the  Chinese  time  is  of 
little  account,  but  space  is  money.  The  top  of  the  flower- 
boat  is  a  place  for  storage  and  for  clothes-lines,  which  you 
see  are  poles. 

Although  space  is  valuable  and  upper  space  is  free,  yet 
the  Chinese  do  not  evidently  take  to  "  sky-scrapers,"  as 
you  can  judge  from  the  single  story  buildings  everywhere. 
Pawn  shops,  however,  constitute  a  curious  exception  to 
the  rule  of  low  buildings,  two  of  which  you  may  see  in 
the  distance.  These  pawn  shops  form  landmarks  in 
Chinese  cities  and  may  be  seen  at  great  distances  towering 
above  all  other  buildings. 

Just  before  these  flower-boats  we  have  a  good  example 
of  a  small  house-boat — its  shape,  its  roof,  and  a  projec- 
tion over  the  stem,  where,  as  I  have  already  stated,  are 
placed  the  pig-box  and  the  hen-coop.  We  have  heard  of 
countries  where  the  pig  is  kept  in  the  parlor;  but  in  the 
house-boat  space  is  more  valuable.  There  is  not  much 
choice,  however,  for  the  porcine  member  in  one  case  has 
more  space,  in  the  other  better  ventilation. 

You  see  those  garments  hung  out  to  dry  on  poles  and 
near  them,  also  on  poles,  objects  that  might  be  mistaken 
for  sheepskins;  they  are  mackintoshes — rain  coats  made 
of  bamboo  leaves ;  they  serve  their  purpose  well  and  only 
cost  from  ten  to  twentv  cents  each. 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE    STEREOSCOPE.  35 

Notice  now  a  short  distance  over  in  the  city  an  object 
which  in  other  countries  would  be  taken  for  a  flag-pole, 
with  an  arrangement  resembling  the  cross  trees  on  a  ship's 
mast.  That  pole  you  will  see  in  every  city  and  large  town 
in  China.  It  marks  the  residence  of  a  mandarin,  and  it  is 
often  a  convenience  when  travelling  in  China  to  know  just 
where  the  mandarin,  in  a  town  or  village,  lives. 

We  are  here  looking  almost  due  north,  and  by  follow- 
ing a  northerly  direction  for  several  miles  we  shall  find 
ourselves  next  standing  on  the  northern  side  of  the  city 
and  looking  almost  directly  towards  the  spot  we  now  oc- 
cupy. The  red  lines  starting  from  the  number  5  near  the 
top  of  Map  No.  4  and  toward  the  southeast  show  our  posi- 
tion and  field  of  vision, 

5.    Canton,    the    Vast   Metropolis  of  China,  from  the 
Pagoda  on  the  Northern  Wall. 

We  are  now  standing  on  a  low  hill  on  the  northern  side 
of  the  city  with  the  city  wall  just  behind  us,  and  looking 
a  little  east  of  south  toward  the  Canton  River,  which  we 
see  in  the  distance.  The  greatest  commercial  emporium 
of  Asia  is  spread  out  over  the  plain  before  us,  extending 
eastward  and  westward  for  many  miles.  That  vast  hive 
of  human  life  is  encompassed  by  a  high  brick  wall  seven 
miles  in  circumference,  and  within  that  wall  a  million 
human  beings  are  toiling  for  a  livelihood.  Almost  an 
equal  number  have  outgrown  the  limits  of  the  ancient  wall 
and  spread  out  into  the  suburbs  and  across  the  river.  We 
cannot  from  this  distance  look  into  one  of  the  narrow 
busy  streets ;  but  this  we  shall  do  on  our  return. 


36  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

Here  we  must  be  content  to  look  over  that  vast  urban 
world  and  reflect.  A  distant  panoramic  view  of  any  city 
always  leaves  much  for  the  imagination,  just  as  when  we 
look  at  the  exterior  of  a  single  house,  the  interior  life  is  for 
the  imagination.  Notice  the  low  one-story  brick  build- 
ings with  tile  roofs.  The  brick  is  not  red,  but  drab  or 
gray ;  no  paint  can  be  seen  anywhere ;  very  little  is  used 
in  the  whole  empire.  But  you  notice  here  that,  although 
the  Chinese  are  innocent  of  the  expensive  aestheticism  of 
paint,  they  are  not  ignorant  of  the  use  of  whitewash. 

We  can  observe  an  occasional  clump  of  trees;  but  no 
high  chimneys.  We  can  see  no  church  spires;  but  there 
are  one  hundred  and  twenty  temples  down  in  that  great 
sea  of  lowly  homes.  There  are  fourteen  high  schools  and 
thirty  colleges.  Of  course,  they  are  not  Yales  or  Ox- 
fords, but  they  are  somewhat  educational. 

People  are  carried  from  place  to  place  through  the  nar- 
row winding  streets  in  sedan-chairs,  and  it  is  probably  not 
unsafe  with  respect  to  truth  to  say  that  not  one  wheeled 
vehicle  could  be  found  within  the  entire  range  of  our 
vision. 

If  by  some  power  the  real  inwardness  of  all  the  social 
and  industrial  life  in  this  panorama  could  be  disclosed  to 
us,  what  a  marvelous  scene  we  should  behold !  There  are 
palaces  after  a  fashion;  there  are  hospitals;  there  are 
arsenals;  there  are  ancestral  halls;  there  are  prisons; 
there  is  the  imperial  mint;  there  is  the  execution  ground 
where  beheading  is  done ;  there  are  scores  of  markets,  in- 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE    STEREOSCOPE.  37 

eluding-  a  cat-market  and  a  dog-market,  where  these  do- 
mestic friends  are  sold  for  food.  There  are  seventeen 
thousand  people  engaged  in  silk  weaving;  and  not  in 
great  factories,  but  in  small  dingy  homes  where  hand- 
made bamboo  looms  turn  out  the  delicate  fabrics  with 
which  our  stores  are  filled,  and  those  magnificent  brocades 
which  charm  our  fancies.  There  are  fifty  thousand  peo- 
ple making  cloth ;  and  there  are  over  four  thousand  shoe- 
makers ;  there  are  great  numbers  of  wood-carvers,  stone- 
cutters and  workers  in  iron,  brass,  ivory  and  silver. 

It  is  a  world  of  ceaseless  industry;  it  is  likewise  a 
world  of  vice,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  and  has  ac- 
quired an  infamous  celebrity  for  profligacy  and  corrup- 
tion ;  it  contains  the  greatest  number  of  the  worst  speci- 
mens that  can  be  found  in  the  empire.  A  retiring  viceroy 
once  expressed  himself  thus  about  Canton :  "  Deceit  and 
falsehood  prevail  everywhere  in  this  city,  in  all  ranks  and 
in  all  places.  There  is  no  truth  in  man,  nor  honesty  in 
woman."  At  one  time  there  was  an  organized  band  of 
twenty  thousand  robbers.  There  are  countless  tea-houses 
and  opium-joints  and  gambling  dens.  But  we  cannot 
gaze  longer  over  this  broad  panorama  of  busy  industry 
and  unspeakable  vice. 

We  must  now  turn  our  attention  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion; we  shall  step  upon  the  wall  and  look  northwest. 
Then  we  shall  have  an  aspect  of  the  landscape  where  there 
is  no  suburb  beyond  the  wall.  See  the  red  lines  marked  6 
at  the  top  of  Map  No.  4. 


38  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

6.    Panorama  Northwest  from  the   Northern  Wall  of 
the  City,  Canton. 

We  are  at  the  northern  edge  of  the  river  plain,  from 
which  a  rolHng  surface  extends  to  the  mountains  in  the 
distance.  We  are  looking  out  toward  the  great  heart  of 
China.  We  see  a  country  where  only  the  low  land  is  cul- 
tivated and  where  the  hills  and  mountains  are  without 
timber  except  for  an  occasional  clump  of  trees.  With  us 
it  is  usually  only  the  rocky  character  of  the  soil  which  pre- 
vents cultivation.  In  China  there  is  another  cause  of 
neglected  cultivation.  It  is  the  vast  amount  of  ground 
occupied  by  tombs  which  can  never  be  removed  nor  dis- 
turbed. The  hills,  both  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  are 
old  cemeteries.  You  can  see  the  partially  obliterated 
graves,  but  the  ground  is  sacred  for  all  time.  Agriculture 
and  ancestral  worship  know  no  truce ;  these  are  the  state 
and  church  in  China.  The  area  of  valuable  land  occupied 
by  graves  has  long  been  a  serious  curtailment  of  agricul- 
tural resources.  This  can  be  better  understood  when  we 
consider  that  the  venerated  graves  of  ancestry  have  been 
preserved  for  thousands  of  years. 

Down  in  the  little  vale  below  us  we  can  see  examples  of 
the  care  with  which  the  Chinaman  cultivates  his  ground. 
Here  he  is  evidently  a  truck  gardener  for  the  great  market 
near  at  hand ;  you  see  how  carefully  the  ground  is  ridged ; 
how  the  streamlet  from  the  hillside  is  carried  around  the 
walled  compound  and  along  the  slope  at  a  proper  elevation 
for  irrigating  his  plot  of  ground ;  that  it  is  continued 
along  the  base  of  the  hill  to  his  neighbor  beyond,  where  it 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE,  39 

again  does  its  work  of  irrigation,  and  so  down  the  plain 
in  the  benevolent  perpetuity  of  Tennyson's  "  Brook." 

We  call  the  aborigines  who  built  and  lived  in  mounds, 
mound-builders.  We  might  call  the  Chinese  wall-builders. 
They  built  the  greatest  wall  in  the  world — a  barrier  to 
repel  the  Tartars — and  how  long  before  that  period  they 
were  wall-builders  we  do  not  know.  We  know  that  from 
time  to  time  to  the  present  they  have  been  defending  their 
cities  by  prodigious  fortifications ;  that  their  homes  within 
walled  cities  are  also  protected  by  walls;  that  even  their 
country  houses  are  encompassed  in  the  same  way;  that 
our  missionaries  in  China  imitate  the  wall-building  in- 
stinct of  the  natives  and  encompass  their  compounds  with 
high,  exclusive  and  defensive  walls.  Now  notice  the 
home  of  that  evidently  well-to-do  gardener — ^how  care- 
fully a  wall  incloses  and  defends  all  within;  yet  it  must 
be  confessed  that  these  ramparts  would  scarcely  be  a  pro- 
tection against  Western  thieves.  Walls  may  do  for  the 
East ;  but  bullets  or  buckshot  are  necessary  for  the  West- 
ern Tartar. 

Let  us  now  turn  about,  pass  through  the  heart  of  the 
great  city  and  look  into  one  of  the  narrow  congested 

thoroughfares. 

-   '       ,,   -  ^ 

7.    I^ooking  into  Shappat-po  Street,  from  one  of  the 
Nigbtwatcb  Bridges,  Canton. 

We  are  standing  on  a  foot-bridge  that  enables  night 
policemen  to  pass  from  roof  to  roof,  and  are  looking  down 
into   Shappat-po   Street,    one   of  the  principal   business 


40  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

streets,  especially  for  merchants  who  deal  in  European 
goods.  Shappat-po  Street  is  a  curious  sounding  name  in 
our  ears  because  it  has  not  been  anglicized.  Another 
street  near  by  called  Hog  Lane  is  more  intelligible  to  the 
Anglo-Saxon,  and  would  scarcely  be  a  misnomer  if  ap- 
plied to  any  of  the  streets,  so  narrow  and  dirty  are  they 
all. 

I  am  sure  it  will  not  diminish  your  interest  in  the  scene 
before  us  should  I  state  how  difficult  it  is  to  photograph 
a  dark,  narrow,  crowded  thoroughfare  in  Canton.  Be- 
fore finding  this  street,  which  is  more  open  and  better 
lighted  than  most  streets,  I  had  made  three  different  un- 
successful attempts  on  different  days  to  obtain  a  street 
scene.  I  had  endeavored  to  hire  policemen  to  stop,  for  a 
few  moments  only,  the  passing  throng,  until  I  could  set 
my  camera  for  a  time  exposure,  as  all  streets  are  too  dark 
for  instantaneous  work.  The  policemen  said  they  could 
never  stop  the  crowd.  In  this  place  I  found  an  American 
Mission  reading-room,  from  the  roof  of  which  I  reached 
the  bridge  on  which  we  stand,  where  some  light  penetrates 
into  the  street  below. 

A  little  farther  along  we  can  see  another  foot-bridge 
over  this  street,  similar  to  the  one  on  which  we  stand. 
Policemen  nightly  patrol  these  roofs  and  cross  the  streets 
on  these  bridges.  The  buildings  are  low  and  the  streets 
are  closed  by  gates  or  barricades  at  frequent  distances ;  so 
that  thieves  can  most  readily  reach  the  shops  and  pass 
from  place  to  place  along  the  roofs.  A  further  reason  for 
the  bridges  is  that  much  industrial  work  is  done  on  the 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  4I 

roofs;  clothes  are  here  hung  out  to  dry;  frames  are 
erected  everywhere  for  the  coloring  and  drying  of  cloth 
and  yarn.  You  will  perceive  a  halt  among  those  passers 
below;  they  have  plainly  spied  the  operator,  but  do  not 
suspect  that  the  eyes  of  a  stereoscopic  camera  ever  look 
down  into  that  closely  sheltered  chasm. 

Note  how  the  vertical  signs  are  suspended  from  poles 
extended  from  roof  to  roof.  These  characters  have  little 
resemblance  to  our  Roman  letters ;  they  are  read  down- 
wards. The  nearest  sign-board  on  our  left  gives  simply 
the  name  of  the  shopkeeper,  Kwo  Heung.  T.he  second, 
in  the  center  of  the  street,  gives  the  owner's  name,  Tai 
Chung  Loong,  followed  by  words  which  in  English  would 
be — Sewing  machine  manufactured  goods.  T.he  next  ver- 
tical sign  to  the  right  belongs  to  Tin  Wah  Gok.  Another 
to  Wing  Fong  Lau,  who,  according  to  his  sign,  is  a  dealer 
in  paper  fans,  panels  and  decorated  pictures.  Do  you  see 
the  one  horizontal  board  both  in  English  and  Chinese 
which  tells  us  that  artificial  speech  and  song  have  a  fas- 
cination for  the  "  heathen  Chinee  "  ?  Here  in  the  very 
heart  of  this  great,  strange  hive  of  human  life  the  phono- 
graph and  graphophone  are  for  sale. 

Should  we  go  down  and  enter  one  of  those  stores,  the 
doorway  would  soon  be  blocked  by  men  and  boys  (not 
women,  because  very  few  are  seen  on  the  streets)  who 
would  stop  and  glower  at  us  as  we  might  stop  and  gaze 
curiously  at  a  wild  man  from  some  strange  land.  The 
shopkeeper  would  not  importune  us  to  buy,  neither  would 
he  attempt  to  repel  the  gaping  crowd  that  fills  his  door- 


42  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

way;  he  would  stare  at  us  himself,  smoke  his  pipe  and 
keep  his  seat  in  statuesque  stolidity  and  scornful  indiffer- 
ence, as  much  as  to  say :  "  Not  dependent  on  the  patron- 
age of  '  foreign-devils.' "  Mongolian  etiquette  is  not 
Caucasian  etiquette;  dissimilitude  is  written  on  every- 
thing. 

We  have  looked  at  the  dingy  house-boats  and  over  a 
wilderness  of  paintless  houses,  and  now,  lest  I  should  lead 
you  to  think  that  the  Chinaman  has  no  appreciation  of 
architecture,  no  love  of  beauty  and  no  artistic  develop- 
ment, we  will  descend,  enter  a  sedan-chair  and  be  carried 
and  jostled  through  lanes  and  byways  for  some  distance, 
and  then  enter  the  court  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  build- 
ings in  Canton, 

8.    Splendors  of  Chun-Ka-Cbie,  the  Ancestral  Hall  of 
the  Great  Chnn  Family  of  Canton. 

Many  believe  that  nothing  has  contributed  more  to  the 
vastness  and  perpetuity  of  the  Chinese  Empire  than  their 
practical  recognition  of  a  commandment  promulgated 
both  by  Moses  and  Confucius,  the  fifth  in  the  Mosaic 
decalogue :  "  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God 
giveth  thee." 

According  to  Confucius,  in  his  "  Filial  Piety  Classic," 
"  There  are  three  thousand  crimes  to  which  one  or  the 
other  of  the  five  kinds  of  punishments  is  attached  as  a 
penalty,  and  of  those  no  one  is  greater  than  disobedience 
to  parents  " ;    but  filial  piety  in  the  Chinese  cult  is  very 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  43 

misleading.  It  is  not  at  all  identical  with  what  we  look 
upon  as  children's  obedience  and  respect  for  their  parents 
in  Western  countries.  The  meaning  would  be  better  ex- 
pressed if  the  so-called  filial  piety  were  termed  veneration 
for  ancestors,  both  immediate  and  remote,  which,  of 
course,  should  naturally  begin  with  reverence  for  parents 
living.  Homage  to  ancestors  antedates  Confucius ;  but 
he  has  emphasized  its  importance,  and  now  it  may  be  re- 
garded as  the  religion  of  the  Empire.  To  honor  and  com- 
memorate the  family  line,  therefore,  shrines  or  temples  are 
erected  in  which  memorial  tablets  are  placed  to  different 
members  of  the  clan  or  family.  This  temple  or  ancestral 
hall  before  us  has  been  erected,  and  is  maintained  by  mem- 
bers of  the  Chun  Clan,  which  has  existed  for  some  sixty 
generations.  The  Chun  family  were  the  founders  and  are 
still  the  proprietors  of  the  Chun-li-Chai,  the  house  name 
of  an  old  medicine  firm  which  has  been  in  existence  for  a 
thousand  years,  and  of  which  there  are  two  establishments 
still  to  be  found.  This  beautiful  ancestral  temple  is  a 
shrine  at  which  all  members  of  the  Chun  Clan,  from  the 
humblest  to  the  highest,  can  place  their  memorial  tablets 
for  those  who  have  gone  before.  There  are  three  pa- 
vilions in  this  exquisite  temple;  in  the  center  one,  con- 
tributors of  two  hundred  taels  have  the  first  privilege. 
The  second  pavilion  is  for  members  who  can  afford  only 
one  hundred  taels,  a  third  for  those  who  are  only  able  to 
pay  forty  taels.  The  walls  are  of  brick,  the  floors  of  the 
courts  are  of  granite  slabs.  The  slender  columns  and  the 
massive  paneled  balustrades  are  of  gray  granite.     Notice 


44  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  representations  of  grape-vines  worked  out  on  posts 
and  panels.  Even  more  elaborate  still  are  the  porcelain 
decorations  on  the  roofs ;  notice  the  fantastic  designs  that 
extend  from  the  ridge  of  the  roof  to  the  eaves;  also  the 
roof  of  the  arcade  running  across  the  court;  these  are 
all  wrought  in  richly  colored  porcelains.  Considerable 
time  could  be  spent  in  examining  the  wonderful  carving 
and  grotesque  decorative  art  in  this  charming  structure, 
which  is  considered  the  finest  in  this  part  of  the  Empire. 
By  a  handful  of  "  cash  "  (a  small  copper  coin,  seventeen 
of  which  make  one  cent)  I  induced  those  three  juvenile 
Celestials  to  stand  where  you  see  them;  but  do  not 
imagine  that  these  boys  are  the  only  life  near  us ;  just  out 
of  sight  at  our  left,  the  court  is  well  filled  with  gaping  on- 
lookers, who  were  kept  back  with  great  difficulty.  The 
gate  of  the  temple  had  to  be  closed  to  exclude  the  crowd 
on  the  street.  They  are  eager  to  see,  but  afraid  to  pose. 
You  cannot  conjecture  what  I  regarded  as  the  rarest  per- 
sonal phenomenon  that  obtained  in  connection  with  that 
little  trio;  it  was  something  seen  everywhere  in  Japan, 
but  seldom  in  a  Chinese  crowd  or  individual ;  I  mean  that 
T  caught  once  on  one  of  those  faces  a  genuine,  roguish, 
first-class,  fun-loving  smile.  I  was  afraid  the  boy  lacked 
"  filial  piety."  The  Japanese  are  a  laughing  people ;  but 
the  Chinese  countenance  is  cold,  expressionless,  and  as 
immobile  as  that  of  the  eternal  Sphinx.  The  ready  laugh 
usually  denotes  a  genial  nature,  which  is  often  lacking  in 
the  Chinese  people.  The  boy  and  little  child  are  a  familiar 
feature  of  domestic  life  in  China.     Everywhere  one  may 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  45 

see  very  small  boys  and  girls  carrying  and  caring  for 
younger  brothers  and  sisters ;  in  this  respect  they  are  cer- 
tainly not  only  filial,  but  fraternal  and  useful. 

We  have  had  a  single  glance  into  one  court  of  this  beau- 
tiful Ancestral  Hall  of  Chun-Ka-Chie  and  will  now,  fol- 
lowed by  a  hundred  gazing  onlookers,  turn  out  into  the 
narrow  street  again  and  wend  our  way  toward  the  west 
to  another  temple,  old  and  dingy,  but  which  constitutes 
one  of  the  chief  attractions  to  all  who  visit  Canton. 

9.    In   the   Temple   of  Five  Hundred  Genii  (founded 
A.  D.  500),  Canton. 

This  temple  was  founded  500  A.  D.,  or  about  fourteen 
hundred  years  ago,  and  is  called  the  Flowery  Forest  Mon- 
astery, or  Temple  of  Five  Hundred  Genii.  At  the  early 
date  of  its  establishment  its  surroundings  probably  made 
the  former  rural  name  appropriate.  The  exterior  consists 
of  a  series  of  low,  grimy  buildings  quite  unattractive  in 
appearance ;  so  we  lose  little  in  confining  ourselves  to  this 
view  within  where  you  can  see  a  phalanx  of  the  celebrated 
so-called  Genii  from  which  the  temple  takes  the  latter 
name.  These  really  are  statues  representing  noteworthy 
disciples  of  Buddha;  they  are  familiarly  called  Josses  or 
idols. 

This  being  a  Buddhistic  shrine,  let  me,  while  we  look  at 
these  odd  figures,  tell  you  briefly  who  Buddha  was ;  you 
may  easily  know  much  more  about  this  famous  character 
than  I  do  myself,  yet  it  may  be  otherwise  with  some.  I 
have  visited  many  of  the  most  noted  Buddhistic  temples 


46  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

in  India,  Burmah  and  Ceylon,  and  have  often  been  sur- 
prised to  find  how  much  error  exists  with  reference  to 
Buddhism.  For  instance,  many  do  not  know  that  there 
are  more  Buddhists  than  Christians ;  that  about  one-third 
of  the  population  of  the  world  are  Buddhists;  that 
Buddhism  is  numerically  the  religion  of  the  world;  that 
two-thirds  of  the  population  of  China  are  followers  of 
Gautama,  or  Buddha.  Yet  till  the  middle  of  this  century 
there  was  nothing  but  vague  notion  and  conjecture  in 
Europe  or  America  respecting  the  nature  and  origin  of 
this  world  religion.  There  are  over  four  hundred  million 
disciples  of  the  wonderful  philosophy  taught  by  the  so- 
styled  Buddha.  There  are  eminent  scholars  who  doubt 
that  such  a  person  ever  existed,  and  believe  that  Buddha 
was  only  a  metaphorical  figment ;  but  Oriental  authorities 
have  no  doubt  as  to  the  historical  reality  of  a  personal 
Buddha.  They  give  the  time  and  place  of  his  birth  and 
many  incidents  of  his  life  with  the  utmost  particularity. 
You  say,  What  statues  are  these  ?  They  are  not  statues  of 
Buddha,  but  statues  of  men  who  have  been  worthy  dis- 
ciples of  him.  Many  are  inclined  to  laugh  at  these  Josses 
or  so-called  idols,  and  suppose  the  Chinese  followers  of 
Buddha  worship  them ;  some  of  the  more  ignorant  may 
do  so ;  but  intelligent  followers  do  not  worship  these 
statues. 

You  see  small  sticks,  called  Joss-sticks,  in  those  pots ; 
these  are  burned  before  the  statues,  and  this  naturally 
leads  one  to  believe  this  is  idol  worship.  Buddhists  oflFer 
flowers  and  oil  and  make  reverence  before  the  statues  of 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  47 

Buddha,  his  relics,  and  the  monuments  containing  them; 
yes,  these  things  are  done  and  offered  as  before  stated,  but 
not  in  the  spirit  of  an  idolater.  We  do  the  same  with  the 
graves  and  statues  of  our  honored  dead,  and  we  do  not 
call  it  idolatry. 

The  object  of  the  statue  is  to  recall  the  example  of  him 
who  taught  the  way  that  leads  to  deliverance.  We  see 
essentially  the  same  thing  in  our  Christian  religion ;  great 
and  worthy  men  in  the  church  have  been  canonized  and 
are  called  saints.  We  know  how  the  mother  of  our  Sa- 
vior and  his  disciples  are  worshiped  because  they  were 
near  to  Christ.  In  the  same  way,  these  statues  represent- 
ing noteworthy  examples  of  Buddhism  are  honored  by  the 
followers  of  that  great  teacher,  and  the  honor  shown  in 
some  cases  may  resemble  worship.  They  are  intended, 
however,  only  to  remind  the  disciple  of  those  who  have 
pointed  the  way  to  Nirvana,  as  they  call  a  state  of  deliver- 
ance from  the  ills  of  the  present  life. 

More  interesting  even  than  these  figures,  however,  are 
the  teachings  of  Buddha,  the  tenets  and  principles  of  life 
that  have  won  the  faith  and  following  of  more  than  a  third 
of  the  human  race,  a  full  account  of  which  would  require 
volumes ;  but  here  I  can  only  mention  a  few  cardinal 
points  in  his  life  and  teachings,  taken  from  a  carefully 
compiled  Buddhist  catechism : 

(i)  Buddha  was  not  a  God,  but  a  man  born  at  Kapilavastu,  one 
hundred  miles  northeast  of  Benares,  in  India,  623  B.  C. 

(2)  Buddha  is  not  his  real  name,  but  the  name  of  a  condition  or 
state  of  mind;  it  means  enlightened,  or  he  who  has  the  per- 


48  CHINA   THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

feet  wisdom.  His  royal  name  was  Siddartha;  Gautama  or 
Gotama,  his  family  name.  He  was  Prince  of  Kapilavastu. 
His  father  was  King  Suddhodana;  his  mother,  Queen  Maya, 
who  ruled  over  the  Sakyas,  an  Aryan  tribe. 

(3)  In  form  Buddha  was  a  man;  but  internally  not  like  other 
men.  That  is  to  say,  in  mental  and  moral  qualities  he  ex- 
celled all  other  men  of  his  own  or  subsequent  times. 

(4)  Buddha  was  born  and  reared  in  a  splendid  palace,  and  when 
he  was  but  a  child  he  seemed  to  understand  all  arts  and 
sciences,  almost  without  study;  but  he  did  not  become  a 
Buddha  in  his  splendid  palace;  he  saw  the  vanity  and  suffer- 
ings of  human  life  and,  in  order  to  discover  the  cause  of  them 
and  how  to  escape  from  them,  he  left  his  beautiful  palaces, 
his  beloved  wife  and  only  son,  and  retired  to  the  solitude  of 
the  jungle,  where  he  spent  several  years  in  meditation  and 
fasting.  At  one  time  he  was  at  the  point  of  death  from  star- 
vation; after  years  of  struggle  he  decided  that  the  higher 
knowledge  could  never  be  attained  by  fasting  or  penance.  He 
took  food,  repaired  to  an  asvattha  tree  and  determined  not  to 
leave  the  spot  till  he  attained  Buddhaship.  Just  before  the 
dawn  of  the  next  day,  the  light  of  supreme  knowledge  was 
revealed  to  him  and  he  saw  at  once  the  cause  of  all  human 
suffering  and  the  means  of  escape.  The  cause,  in  a  single 
word,  he  ascribed  to  ignorance. 

(5)  Of  things  that  cause  sorrow,  he  gfives: 

Birth,  growth,  decay,  illness,  death,  separation  from  things 
we  love,  hating  what  cannot  be  avoided,  craving  for  what  can- 
not be  obtained. 

As  a  means  of  escape  from  these  sorrows,  he  gives  what  he 
has  called  the  Noble  Eight-fold  Path.  The  parts  of  this  path 
are: 

(i)  Right  Belief;  (2)  Right  Thought;  (3)  Right  Speech; 
(4)  Right  Doctrine;  (5)  Right  Means  of  Living;  (6)  Right 
Endeavor;   (7)  Right  Memory;   (8)  Right  Meditation.     The 


CHIN'A  THfecyUGtt   THE   StgREaSCOfE.  49 

ftian  who  follows  these  will  be  free  from  sorrow  and  reach 
salvation  (Nirvana). 

Buddha  has  summed  tip  his  whole  religion  in  one 
verse : 

"  To  cease  from  all  sin, 
To  get  virtue, 

To  cleanse  one's  own  heart. 
This  is  the  religion  of  the  Buddhists/' 

The  following  are  five  precepts  imposed  on  the  laity, 
in  general: 

(i)     I  observe  the  precept  to  abstain  from  destroying  the  life  of 
any  being. 

(2)     I  observe  the  precept  to  refrain  from  stealing. 
C3)     I  observe  the  precept  to  abstain  from  unlawful  sexual  inter- 
course. 

(4)  I  observe  the  precept  to  abstain  from  falsehood. 

(5)  I   observe  the  precept  to  abstain   from  using  intoxicating 
liquors  and  drugs  that  tend  to  procrastination  (stupefy). 

This  is  a  brief  list  of  precepts  for  the  laity.  Other  pre- 
cepts may  be  voluntarily  added  to  this,  and  a  special  list 
is  required  of  the  priests. 

You  say,  how  about  transmigration  or  rebirth — is  not 
that  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  their  belief?  Yes,  the 
Buddhist  believes,  according  to  Alcott's  interpretation  of 
their  philosophy,  that  "  The  unsatisfied  desire  for  things 
that  belong  to  the  state  of  personal  existence  in  the  ma- 
terial world  causes  us  to  be  reborn.     This  unquenched 


5©  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

thirst  for  physical  existence  is  a  force,  and  has  a  creative 
power  in  itself,  so  strong  that  it  draws  the  being  back  into 
mundane  life.  It  is  in  reconciliation  with  science,  since  it 
is  the  doctrine  of  cause  and  effect.  Science  teaches  that 
man  is  the  result  of  a  law  of  development,  from  an  imper- 
fect and  a  lower  to  a  higher  and  a  perfect  condition  which 
is  called  evolution." 

Now,  with  this  brief  resume  of  some  salient  features  of 
this  world-wide  philosophy,  we  will  go  on  with  our  in- 
spection of  this  line  of  figures.  You  see  that  these  statues 
represent  Mongolianized  types  of  Buddha  as  represented 
in  India;  they  have  the  drooping,  looped  ears;  they  all 
have  the  sitting  posture ;  their  heads  are  shaved  after  the 
fashion  of  Buddhist  priests  the  world  over ;  they  wear  the 
flowing,  loose  robe  of  cotton,  dyed  yellow;  they  have 
Chinese  shoes ;  no  two  are  in  the  same  pose.  Sometimes 
I  think  the  great  Buddha  must  have  been  lazy;  I  have 
scarcely,  if  ever,  seen  a  statue  in  any  way  typical  of  him 
that  was  not  in  a  sitting  position  and  did  not  represent 
him  as  suspiciously  obese.  These  are  certainly  a  good- 
natured  lot  of  worthies,  and  some  of  them  must  be  gfuilty 
of  telling  a  good  story,  for,  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the 
other,  they  wear  a  pleasant  smile.  I  told  you  at  the  An- 
cestral Hall  that  a  smile  is  a  rare  phenomenon  in  China, 
and  J  cannot  help  entertaining  a  mild  suspicion  that  some 
slight  consanguinity  exists  between  the  grinning  boy  at 
the  former  place  and  these  sacerdotal  figures. 

The  interior  of  this  temple  is  quadrangular,  and  every 
side  of  the  square  is  flanked  by  double  rows  of  figures, 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  5 1 

five  hundred  in  all,  and  all  blackened  with  the  smoke  of  in- 
cense that  has  been  curling  up  before  them  for  centuries. 
But  we  have  stopped  here  for  considerable  time ;  let  us 
betake  ourselves  hence  to  a  great  national  institution,  one 
of  another  type.  See  the  red  lines  marked  lo  near  the 
right-hand  portion  of  Map  No.  4. 

xo.  Examination  Hall — Rows  of  Twelve  Thousand 
Cells,  where  the  Ku-Van  Triennial  J^xaminations 
are  held,  Canton. 

You  will  scarcely  think  it  possible  that  those  low,  shed- 
like structures,  hardly  more  imposing  in  appearance  than 
the  cattle-pens  in  some  city  stockyards,  are  the  halls  in 
which  applicants  for  examination  for  degrees  that  nearly 
correspond  with  our  college  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
and  Master  of  Arts  are  held.  Yes,  once  in  three  years 
learned  examiners  come  from  Pekin  to  test  here  the  liter- 
ary merit  of  those  who  aim  to  fill  government  offices  or 
to  obtain  honorary  degrees.  The  government  of  China 
has  encouraged  the  higher  education  of  the  few  by  dis- 
pensing state  offices  and  honors  only  to  scholars,  and  the 
distribution  is  based  on  this  system  of  elaborate  exami- 
nations. As  far  as  it  goes  it  is  an  equitable  system  of 
civil  service;  for  the  poorest  may  rise  to  the  highest 
rank  next  to  the  Emperor.  China  is  the  only  country  in 
the  world  in  which  titles  of  honor  for  learning  are  higher 
and  more  lucrative  than  those  conferred  on  military  offi- 
cials. The  greatest  general  is  outranked  by  a  Doctor  of 
Laws.     T.he  preparation  for  these  triennial  examinations 


52  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

is  very  unlike  our  preparation  for  a  degree  in  college ;  it 
consists  largely  in  a  cramming  with  obsolete  Confucian 
classics.  The  applicant  most  likely  to  secure  a  degree 
is  the  one  who  has  memorized  and  can  best  quote  the  four 
sacred  books  and  the  five  classics  of  Confucius.  Four  de- 
grees are  conferred.  Examinations  for  the  first  degree 
are  held  in  provincial  towns  throughout  the  Empire;  for 
the  second,  in  each  capital  of  the  eighteen  provinces. 
Those  for  the  third  are  held  in  Pekin ;  the  final  examina- 
tion gives  the  successful  candidate  a  membership  in 
the  Imperial  Academy.  Every  male,  without  respect  to 
age  or  position,  is  eligible,  and  should  a  degree  be  obtained, 
even  though  no  government  appointment  be  the  result, 
the  possessor  is  not  only  honored  in  his  community,  but 
enjoys  an  immunity  from  the  baser  penalties  of  the  law, 
such  as  bamboo  flagellations,  which  are  inflicted  for  many 
trivial  offenses.  The  examinations  are  very  rigorous  and 
often  only  a  very  small  number  out  of  the  thousands  of 
applicants  carry  away  the  honors  of  a  degree. 

Women  are  not  eligible  in  these  examinations ;  indeed, 
they  can  hardly  be  considered  eligible  to  any  education 
whatever,  as  immemorial  usage  has  placed  them  on  a 
lamentable  plane  of  inferiority,  as  is  exemplified  by  the 
prevalence  of  female  infanticide. 

The  grounds  of  this  Examination  Hall  cover  about 
twenty  acres  and  contain  accommodation  for  twelve  thou- 
sand competitors.  We  entered  through  a  gate  at  the  far- 
ther end  of  this  causeway,  and  we  are  now  standing  on 
the  upper  floor  of  a  building  which  contains  apartments 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  53 

for  two  chiefs  and  ten  junior  examiners;  also  for  the 
Viceroy  and  the  Governor  of  the  Province,  whose  pres- 
ence is  required  during  the  examinations.  The  examiners 
who  are  sent  from  Pekin  are  received  with  every  mark  of 
honor  and  ceremony.  We  are  here  looking  southeast 
over  one  portion  of  the  ground  covered  by  the  examina- 
tion cells  or  pens.  You  will  notice  the  low,  narrow  brick 
structures  with  half-roofs  sloping  toward  the  entrance 
side,  with  a  narrow  alley  or  lane  between  them;  these 
long,  shed-like  buildings  are  partitioned  off  into  spaces 
five  feet  six  inches  deep,  three  feet  eight  inches  broad  and 
six  feet  high.  Each  cell,  when  occupied,  is  securely  closed 
in  front  by  a  strong  wooden  grating.  In  these  solid  brick 
quarters  the  candidate  is  confined  for  two  whole  days  and 
nights,  during  which  time  he  is  to  complete  his  essay  or 
poem.  From  a  tower  built  for  the  purpose,  a  close  watch 
is  maintained  over  the  whole  area,  and  the  utmost  pre- 
caution is  taken  to  prevent  students  from  smuggling  into 
their  cells  any  available  item  of  literature.  These  build- 
ings and  the  whole  surroundings  have  a  cheerless  and 
dilapidated  aspect  which  we  can  hardly  discern  here.  You 
will  notice,  on  the  end  of  each  range  of  cells,  characters 
designating  the  number  of  the  range  and  the  cells  in- 
cluded. You  can  see  also  the  source  of  the  water  supply 
for  the  twelve  thousand  feverish  and  anxious  competitors 
that  are  locked  in  those  close,  hot  cells  for  two  days  and 
two  nights ;  I  mean  the  cisterns  with  stone  curbs  that  ex- 
tend along  the  space  between  the  causeway  and  the  build- 
ings.    I  need  not  tell  you  that  the  two  Oriental  specimens 


54  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

below  US,  with  bare  heads  and  poorly  shod  feet  and  stiffly 
akimboed  arms  are  not  defeated  candidates  for  literary 
honors;  they  are  but  common  coolies  who,  as  you  can 
readily  see,  impose  on  art  when  they  pose  for  "  cash." 
I  wonder  if  you  have  noticed  while  looking  upon  this 
scene  that  trees  are  deciduous  about  Canton?  This  be- 
comes an  interesting  fact  when  I  remind  you  that  we  are 
here  just  within  the  tropics,  Canton  being  only  a  few  miles 
below  the  T.ropic  of  Cancer,  and  that  frost  seldom  occurs 
here.  The  last  snowfall,  about  seventy  years  ago,  threw 
the  inhabitants  into  superstitious  consternation. 

We  will  depart  from  this  place  where  the  Literati  are 
made,  return  to  the  busy  river  life,  engage  a  sampan, 
which  will  take  us  out  into  the  stream,  where  we  board  a 
large  coasting  steamer  at  anchor  a  short  distance  off  the 
European  Settlement. 

Our  position  and  field  of  vision  are  given  by  the  lines 
connected  with  the  number  ii  on  the  lower  left-hand  cor- 
ner of  the  Canton  map. 

XX.    West  ^nd  of  Shameen,  an  ArtiBcial  Island  which 
Comprises  the  J^nropean  Colony  of  Canton. 

Here  we  are  looking  slightly  north  of  west,  toward  the 
west  end  of  an  artificial  island,  built  up  of  sand  and  called 
Shameen  (sand).  This  island  extends  east  and  west, 
parallel  with  the  mainland,  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
a  narrow  canal.  It  is  about  half  a  mile  long,  comprises 
the  European  Settlement,  and  is  connected  with  the  native 
city  by  two  bridges.     It  is  a  beautiful  place,  as  we  shall 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  5$ 

discover  when  we  go  ashore  by  those  trees  along  the  wall. 
Among  the  trees  yonder  you  can  see  the  west  end  of  a  row 
of  European  houses  that  extends  the  full  length  of  the 
island ;  many  of  them  are  much  more  imposing  than  those 
we  see;  some  are  four  stories  in  height  and  surrounded 
by  fine  shrubbery  and  flower-gardens.  In  this  line  of 
buildings  are  all  the  consulates,  where  Li  Hung  Chang 
occasionally  called  during  his  official  term  in  Canton.  I 
witnessed  one  of  these  formal  calls ;  it  was  marked  by 
what  we  would  look  upon  as  semi-barbaric  pomp;  Earl 
Li  was  carried  in  his  state-chair,  followed  by  a  motley 
retinue  of  soldiers,  musicians,  standard-bearers  and  a  few 
horsemen  on  miserable  and  ill-caparisoned  ponies.  The 
whole  proceeding  seemed  somewhat  ludicrous  and  child- 
ish. ■'-W'^ 
Again  we  see  the  conspicuous  pawnshop  looming 
above  the  other  buildings,  as  we  did  when  we  looked  over 
the  city  from  the  flower-boats.  You  may  see  by  the  Bund 
at  the  end  of  the  row  of  trees  a  low  building,  on  piles ;  it 
is  a  boathouse,  in  which  the  Europeans  keep  their  pleasure 
boats.  In  all  the  Orient  Europeans  indulge  in  their  home 
sports  and  pastimes ;  they  have  the  race-course,  the  boat 
club,  the  tennis  court,  etc.  In  that  building  you  will  find 
the  most  up-to-date  row-boats  and  the  long,  slender  rac- 
ing shells.  Lying  between  us  and  the  shore  is  another 
assemblage  of  house-boats ;  and  here  we  obtain  a  better 
view  of  their  appearance.  They  are  short  and  broad,  and 
the  occupants  are  sheltered  by  a  thatch  of  palm-leaves. 
At  first  glance  one  might  think  these  boat  people  meant 


5 6  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

to  tell  US  they  were  not  the  river  pirates,  which  are  so 
troublesome  on  some  parts  of  the  river.  I  am  sure  I  have 
seen,  during  the  war,  both  in  the  Philippines  and  in  China, 
less  dignified  truce  emblems  than  those  we  see  here,  dis- 
played by  humble  non-combatants  craving  protection  of 
the  enemy.  You  will  observe  here,  again,  to  use  a  Celti- 
cism, that  most  of  the  boats  are  manned  by  women.  In 
the  small  sampan  one  woman  sculls  and  another  rows 
with  a  single  oar,  while  a  third,  sheltered  by  a  prodigious 
bamboo  hat,  carries  a  child  on  her  back,  supported  in  the 
usual  way  by  a  strong  cloth,  which  leaves  the  mother's 
hands  free  for  manual  work  of  any  kind.  These  boats  are 
all  called  sampans  when  used  for  carrying  passengers,  and 
whenever  a  European  approaches  that  walk  by  the  shore 
a  number  of  them  will  at  once  dart  toward  him,  vociferat- 
ing :  "  Want  sampan  ?  "  "  Have  sampan  ?  "  in  good  Eng- 
lish; but  one  soon  learns  on  entering  a  boat  that  these 
s}Ticopated  sentences  constitute  their  whole  stock  of  our 
language. 

Before  leaving  this  place  I  will  direct  your  attention  to 
only  one  other  feature ;  it  is  the  color  and  character  of  the 
water  in  the  Pearl  River.  In  physiography,  considerable 
importance  is  always  attached  to  the  character  of  the 
water  in  great  rivers,  whether  clear  or  turbid;  whether 
wholesome  for  drinking  and  cooking  purposes  or  whether 
malarious  (whatever  that  may  mean)  and  fever-produc- 
ing. I  have  among  my  collection  of  objects  from  foreign 
countries,  bottles  of  water  from  the  Jordan  River,  the 
Dead  Sea,  the  Nile,  the  Amazon  and  the  Yang-tse-Kiang. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  57 

These  samples,  when  shaken  up,  show  the  amount  of  tur- 
bidity, and  when  allowed  to  settle  the  relative  amount  of 
sediment  in  those  bodies  of  water.  Rivers  often  take  their 
name  from  the  appearance  of  their  water,  as  the  Hoang 
Ho  (or  Yellow  River)  from  the  pronounced  yellow  color 
of  its  water;  Missouri  (Mud  River)  from  its  muddy  as- 
pect ;  but  you  will  feel  sure  that  the  river  before  us  is 
not  named  Pearl  River  after  the  pearly  aspect  of  its  wa- 
ters, for  you  can  distinctly  see  the  yellowish  muddy  ap- 
pearance and  how  the  reflections  are  diminished  thereby: 
yet  it  does  not  seem  to  be  unwholesome,  and  is  much  used 
both  for  cooking  and  drinking. 

We  will  call  that  little  sampan  and  be  landed  about  two 
hundred  yards  to  the  right  of  what  we  see  here,  on  the 
wall  beneath  that  row  of  beautiful  trees,  and  look  back 
toward  the  river  to  Hongkong  again.  Our  position  is 
given  on  the  map  by  the  lines  marked  12. 

I  a.  Mission  Children,  with  One  Itittle  American  Girl, 
on  "Respondentia  Walk,"  in  the  European  Settle- 
ment, Canton. 

We  are  now  in  the  European  Settlement,  on  the  walk  by 
the  water,  looking  eastward,  down  the  river,  with  a  group 
of  mission  children  gathered  under  the  shade  of  a  range 
of  stately  banyan-trees.  This  island  is  only  about  three 
hundred  yards  in  width,  separated  from  the  city  of  Canton 
by  a  narrow  canal  congested  with  every  style  of  small 
craft.  It  comprises  chiefly  the  English  and  French  con- 
cessions, and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 


58  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

healthful  foreign  settlements  in  the  Far  East.  The  con- 
sulates and  the  homes  of  foreigners  are  all  located  on  the 
Shameen.  The  whole  island  is  a  bower  of  beauty;  the 
rows  of  fine  modem  buildings  are  flanked  by  magnificent 
banyan-trees,  such  as  you  see  here  on  the  river-front. 
There  are  beautiful  flower-gardens,  tennis-courts,  cycle 
paths  and  avenues  of  palms ;  and  all  the  feathered  tribes 
of  the  neighborhood  seem  to  appreciate  European  condi- 
tions and  protection;  these  beautiful  trees  are  all  alive 
with  birds  of  brilliant  plumage  and  melodious  with  bird- 
songs.  This  particular  promenade  has  a  most  euphonious 
name ;  it  is  called  "  Respondentia  Walk,"  But  perhaps 
most  interesting  of  all  is  this  group  of  pretty  and  well- 
dressed  Chinese  girls,  who  have  been  brought  by  their  de- 
voted American  lady  teacher  from  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  The  little  party  filled  a  sampan  and  landed  on  the 
Shameen  bright  and  early,  because  I  had  promised  them 
one  of  their  pictures.  They  are  children  of  the  better 
class,  well  dressed  and  tidy  and  happy  in  expectation  of 
receiving  a  picture.  The  missionary  influence  on  these 
children  is  marvelous ;  they  have  no  superstitious  dread 
of  foreigners  or  cameras ;  they  have  been  taught  self-re- 
spect, and  to  respect  foreigners ;  they  are  girls,  and  girls 
in  China,  you  must  know,  when  they  are  fortunate  enough 
to  escape  infanticide,  have  but  meager  consideration,  anH 
they  respond  most  touchingly  to  the  love  bestowed  upon 
them  by  their  affectionate  teachers.  It  is  worth  while 
noticing  how  beautifully  they  are  attired,  in  silken  gar- 
ments, how  carefully  the  hair  is  arranged  after  their  fash- 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  59 

ion,  smooth  and  glossy.  Notice  also  the  one  American 
child  on  the  end  of  the  stone  seat,  and  the  difference  in 
features  between  the  Caucasian  and  the  Mongolian  types ; 
the  stiff,  straight,  black  hair  of  the  latter,  with  oblique 
eyes,  flat  nose  and  rather  poor  facial  lines  generally,  and 
the  soft,  flaxen  ringlets  that  float  about  the  prominent 
forehead  of  the  former,  with  mouth  and  chin  that  are 
modeled  on  Hogarth  lines  of  beauty. 

There  appears  to  be  the  promise  of  a  smile  on  the  face 
of  the  girl  next  the  river ;  a  scarce  article  in  China,  as  al- 
ready mentioned.  A  few  of  them  carry  handkerchiefs — a 
missionary  innovation,  no  doubt.  Their  garments  are  not 
ungraceful,  with  their  capacious  sleeves  and  a  simple  cord 
at  the  neck,  instead  of  a  stiff  starched  collar  that  enforces 
awkwardness  of  head  movement;  note  also  that  at  least 
one  girl  has  her  hair  knotted  on  the  side  of  the  head,  some- 
thing that  is  quite  conmnon  with  small  girls  in  China. 
This  bevy  of  Christianized  little  Orientals  seemed  much 
attached  to  their  teacher,  and  clung  to  her  skirts  and  fin- 
gers as  confiding  children  do  in  Western  lands.  How  many, 
such  as  these,  have  been  ruthlessly  sacrificed  during  the 
Boxer  uprising!  I  have  seen  children  just  as  innocent 
and  attractive  as  those  composing  this  little  group,  dead 
in  the  streets  of  Tien-tsin  after  the  siege,  and  floating  in 
the  Pei-ho  to  be  devoured  by  dogs. 

These  little  Christian  girls  will  now  return  to  their  boat 
down  there  by  the  wall,  recross  the  great  river  and  tell 
to  their  parents  the  strange  things  they  have  seen  in  the 
foreign  settlement.     And  we  will  take  an  opposite  direc- 


6o  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

tion,  to  our  left,  to  a  bridge  that  connects  this  foreign  set- 
tlement with  the  native  city.  See  the  short  lines  marked 
13  on  the  map. 

13.  Watcbingtbe  "Foreign  Devils."— Gate  of  the  JSng- 
lisb  Bridge,  barring  tbe  Cantonese  from  tbe  I^e- 
gationa,  Canton. 

Here  we  have  a  perfect  example  of  the  stupid,  sullen, 
gazing  crowd  that  assembles  instantly  wherever  a  for- 
eigner halts  for  a  moment;  and  this  is  not  peculiar  to 
Canton,  but  to  every  part  of  the  country.  We  are  stand- 
ing on  the  English  bridge  with  our  back  to  the  island,  alid 
this  strong  iron  gate  is  a  barrier  to  prevent  the  natives 
from  entering  the  foreign  settlement.  It  is  closed  se- 
curely at  night,  and  during  the  day  is  guarded  closely  by 
native  police,  who  permit  Europeans  to  enter  the  native 
city  and  duly  authorized  Chinese  to  enter  the  foreign 
quarters.  The  street  along  which  this  crowd  is  passing 
faces  the  canal  over  which  we  stand,  and  runs  parallel 
with  the  island  of  Shameen  and  the  river.  I  had,  up  to 
this  moment,  been  photographing  the  busy  scene  on  the 
canal  from  the  bridge  on  which  we  stand ;  so  the  crowd  in 
a  twinkling  surged  up  to  the  gate  to  view  the  operation. 
Knowing  that  any  appearance  of  deliberately  making  a 
picture  of  this  gaping  horde  would  scatter  them  precipi- 
tately beyond  reach,  I  focus  for  the  proper  distance  while 
the  camera  is  aimed  in  another  direction,  swing  instantly 
on  the  tripod,  expose  and  return  to  the  original  position, 
without  arousing  their  suspicion.     T.his  I  repeat  several 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  6 1 

times  for  duplicate  views  without  provoking  a  smile. 
Look  over  this  melange  of  faces  and  see  how  many  smiles 
you  will  discover.  It  is  a  facial  mosaic  of  sullenness, 
coldness  and  cruelty — a  study  for  the  physiognomist. 
There  are  none  of  the  upper  class  in  this  group;  a  few 
wear  caps,  indicating  a  position  above  the  majority,  who 
are  bareheaded  coolies;  there  are  a  few  boys;  but,  as 
usual,  no  women.  We  can  see  dimly,  across  the  narrow 
street,  a  drug-shop  with  a  modern  lamp  suspended  from 
the  ceiling,  and  shelves  of  bottles  on  two  sides  of  the  room 
which  has  its  whole  front  thrown  open  to  the  street. 
This  shop  is  considerably  patronized  by  the  Europeans, 
and  usually  some  one  in  it  can  be  found  who  can  speak 
a  few  words  of  English.  The  Chinese,  like  some  of  our 
own  people,  have  great  faith  in  medicinal  properties. 
They  advertise  and  issue  pamphlets  setting  forth  the  cure- 
all  principles  of  their  discoveries  and  preparations,  and 
undoubtedly  do  a  flourishing  business  in  an  empire  where 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  people  are  il- 
literate. 

Once  I  was  taken  by  my  guide  into  a  first-class  native 
pharmacy,  where  the  proprietor  presented  me  with  a  half- 
dozen  small  sample  bottles  of  a  preparation  said  to  be 
wonderfully  efficacious  in  curing  every  form  of  disease. 
I  can  vouch  for  its  powerful  odor,  but  not  for  its  curative 
virtues;  I  can  vouch  furthermore  for  the  prohibitive 
duties  put  upon  it  in  our  own  country,  for  while  the  six 
small  vials  were  valueless  to  me  and  to  everybody,  the 
custom-house  appraiser  in  New  York,  ignorant  of  the 


62  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

contents  of  the  tiny  bottles,  called  them  medical  prepara- 
tions and  taxed  me  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  duty. 
Where  ignorance  is  profitable  it  is  folly  to  be  wise. 

You  will  not  fail  to  notice  that  Scott's  Codfish  man, 
notwithstanding  his  piscatory  impedimenta,  has  found 
his  way  to  Canton,  as  he  has  to  most  parts  of  the  world, 
and,  without  doubt,  he  has  brought  with  him  a  supply 
of  the  universal  emulsion.  Many  medicines  from  the 
West  are  found  in  most  of  the  native  pharmacies. 

How  strange  we  must  appear  to  these  fellows !  Their 
eyes  are  still  fixed  upon  us,  and  they  never  weary  of 
looking  at  us.  We  are  ready  for  a  change  of  scene,  how- 
ever, and  so  will  leave  them  behind  the  gate  and  stroll 
down  the  river  to  a  place  near  the  steamboat-landing 
called  the  "  Dying-place." 

Z4.    Dying  in  the  " DyingSeld,"   where  Discouraged 
Poor  are  Allowed  to  Come  and  Die,  Canton. 

Dying-places  are  ordinarily  in  homes  or  in  hospitals, 
but  this  poor  fellow  has  neither  a  home  nor  a  hospital  in 
which  to  die.  We  are  here  in  a  vacant  space  near  the 
river — a  sort  of  a  common  littered  with  refuse  and  scav- 
enged by  starving  dogs.  It  has  been  named  the  Dying- 
place,  because  poor,  starving,  miserable  outcasts  and 
homeless  sick,  homeless  poor,  homeless  misery  of  every 
form  come  here  to  die.  The  world  scarcely  can  present 
a  more  sad  and  depressing  spectacle  than  this  field  of 
suicides ;  I  say  suicides,  because  many  that  come  here 
come  to  voluntarily  give  up  the  struggle  for  existence  and 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE    STEREOSCOPE.  63 

to  die  by  sheer  will  force  through  a  slow  starvation.  They 
may  be  enfeebled  by  lingering  disease;  they  may  be  un- 
able to  find  employment;  they  may  be  professional  va- 
grants; they  come  from  different  parts  of  the  city  and 
sometimes  from  the  country  round  about.  They  are 
friendless ;  they  are  passed  unnoticed  by  a  poor  and  in- 
adequate hospital  service;  they  become  utterly  discour- 
aged and  hopeless  and  choose  to  die.  Their  fellow  na- 
tives pass  and  repass  without  noticing  them  or  thought 
of  bestowing  aid  or  alms,  and  here  it  is  not  expected; 
they  have  passed  beyond  the  pale  of  charity;  it  is  the 
last  ditch ;  they  are  here  to  die,  not  to  receive  alms,  and 
no  one  thinks  of  bestowing  them.  The  pitiable  specimen 
before  us  is  near  the  end — too  near  to  heed  the  usually 
dreaded  camera,  I  attempted  to  catch  a  view  of  others, 
who,  having  a  trifle  more  vitality  left,  crawled  away  on 
hands  and  knees.  His  glassy,  fixed  gaze  tells  how  soon 
his  long,  hard  struggle  will  be  over ;  how  soon  even  the 
grimy  rags  that  cover  his  nakedness  will  be  unnecessary. 
With  a  stone  for  his  pillow,  a  sack  for  his  garment,  with- 
out food  or  friends,  an  uncofifined  grave  will  soon  be  his ; 
he  has  begged  a  fellow  mortal  for  work,  but  it  was  re- 
fused him.  Would  that  the  vast  numbers  who  squander 
extravagantly  and  needlessly  unearned  wealth  could  wit- 
ness the  innumerable  instances  like  this — of  existence  so 
full  of  suffering  that  death  is  welcome.  This  far-gone 
case  of  destitution  and  misery  is  not  the  only  one  in  this 
last  retreat  of  human  agony ;  you  see  another  in  the  dis- 
tance, probably  a  new  arrival,  as  he  yet  has  strength  to 


64  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

sit  erect.  I  have  been  several  times  to  this  haunt  of 
agony  and  have  always  found  several  sitting  or  lying  in 
different  parts  of  the  ground.  When  death  ends  their 
sufferings  they  often  remain  several  days  before  the  tardy 
authorities  remove  the  body,  and  when  removed  it  is 
borne  to  an  unknown  grave  in  the  potter's  field.  Prob- 
ably you  do  not  care  to  tarry  longer  before  this  harrow- 
ing scene  in  the  "  Dying-place."  It  is  the  darkest  and 
the  saddest,  and  we  can  find  a  brighter  scene.  Go  with 
me  to  the  Shameen,  to  the  home  of  a  faithful  missionary, 
and  there  we  can  see  a  different  face,  a  countenance  il- 
luminated by  Christian  "  Nirvana,"  a  Chinese  Bible- 
woman. 

IS.    A  Chinese  Bible-woman— Many  of  these  Faithful 
Teachers  Have  Snffered  Martyrdom. 

You  cannot  fail  to  note  the  maternal  thoughtfulness 
of  this  face,  the  intelligence,  the  kindliness.  Buddhistic 
asceticism  has  left  her;  almost  the  Mongolian  obliquity 
of  eyes  has  deserted  her  since  Christian  light  entered  her 
mind  and  Christian  love  her  heart.  She  has  been  lifted 
from  the  low  level  of  her  sex  among  her  own  people  to 
the  level  of  European  culture  and  refinement,  and  that 
by  missionary  influence.  Her  adopted  Christian  religion 
permits  her  to  smile,  which  she  can  do  charmingly  when 
not  posing  for  a  picture;  it  also  permits  her  to  shake 
hands  Western  fashion,  on  an  equality  with  European 
men  and  women,  which  she  does  gracefully  and  modest- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  65 

ly.  Her  new  religion  has  removed  her  superstitious  fear 
of  the  camera,  and  she  is  pleased,  even  anxious,  to  have 
her  picture  taken.  What  a  change  is  wrought  in  these 
people  by  Christian  influence!  In  China  women  are 
slaves  and  playthings.  Wives  and  daughters  are  treated 
as  animals.  Their  education  is  practically  forbidden ;  so- 
cially they  are  ostracised;  they  do  not  appear  in  the 
streets  nor  at  public  functions,  and  I  have  been  told  that 
a  Chinese  gentleman  is  supposed  to  turn  his  back  when 
one  of  the  opposite  sex  passes  on  the  street.  Under  these 
circumstances  how  much  emancipation  means  to  Chinese 
women !  Can  we  wonder  that  the  law  of  love  and  equal- 
ity has  transformed  the  countenance  of  this  Bible-wom- 
an !  A  man,  in  China,  may  even  kill  his  wife  with  im- 
punity, provided  he  obtains  the  sanction  of  the  mother 
(his  mother-in-law).  Can  we  wonder,  either,  that  the 
prayer  of  the  Chinese  woman  who  is  a  Buddhist  and  be- 
lieves in  transmigration,  is  often  that  in  the  future  exist- 
ence she  may  be  a  man  ?  It  would  appear  from  views  ex- 
pressed by  the  great  founder  of  the  Indian  religion  that 
his  teachings  did  little  to  elevate  the  low  state  of  women 
in  China;  for  he  refers  to  them  in  words  which  might 
afford  grains  of  comfort  to  the  misogynist  and  the  hen- 
pecked husband.  Here  are  his  words:  "A  woman's 
body  has  many  evil  things  in  it;  at  birth  her  parents  are 
not  happy ;  rearing  her  is  '  without  taste  '  (distasteful) ; 
her  heart  fears  men ;  she  must  rise  early  and  late,  and 
be  very  busy ;  she  can  never  eat  before  others ;  her  father 
and  mother  begrudge  the  money  spent  on  her  wedding ; 


66  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

she  must  leave  father  and  mother ;  she  fears  her  husband 
and  has  times  of  travail;  if  her  husband  curse  her  she 
is  not  permitted  to  get  angry  (talk  back) ;  in  youth  her 
father  and  mother  rule;  in  middle  life  her  husband ;  in  old 
age  she  is  at  the  beck  and  call  of  her  grandchildren." 

This  Bible-woman  is  seated  on  the  veranda  of  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson,  located  in  the  Shameen. 
These  devoted  workers  in  the  field  of  the  foreign  mission 
were  evidently  much  interested  in  this  woman,  and  spared 
no  effort  to  enable  me  to  secure  views  of  native  types, 
who  under  their  Christian  influence  had  come  to  think  of 
foreigners  in  a  reasonable  way.  Bible-women  perform 
a  special  work  in  the  mission  field.  Mr.  Nelson  explained 
to  me  the  difficulty  of  reaching  Chinese  homes ;  only  men 
can  go  to  the  services  when  general  meetings  are  held, 
for  it  is  not  considered  proper  in  China  for  women  to 
assemble  with  men,  or  even  for  young  women  and  ladies 
of  the  better  class  to  be  seen  on  the  street.  In  order, 
iiicrefore,  that  the  homes  may  be  reached  and  mothers 
and  daughters  taught  to  forsake  their  idolatrous  ways, 
elderly  native  Christian  women  are  chosen  and  specially 
trained  and  educated  for  this  work.  Elderly  women  are 
chosen  because  they  will  be  tolerated  and  respected  when 
young  women  would  be  insulted.  When  trained  for  this 
special  work  they  are  called  Bible-women.  This  Bible- 
woman  is  fifty-three  years  of  age ;  her  name  is  Mak ;  she 
belongs  to  the  middle  class ;  is  a  widow,  and  had  an  onlj 
son  who  died  of  the  plague  three  years  ago.  The  son 
had  been  converted  to  the  Christian  religion  some  time 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  67 

before  he  was  stricken  with  the  dreadful  malady.  On 
his  death  bed  his  faith  in  his  new  found  ''  Nirvana  "  was 
so  firm  and  strong  as  to  turn  his  mother,  who  had  never 
been  in  a  Christian  church,  to  the  same  source  of  conso- 
lation and  hope.  She  applied  to  Christian  women  to 
learn  about  Jesus ;  then  she  applied  for  admission  to  the 
Woman's  School  of  the  American  Board.  She  was  ad- 
mitted; but  she  could  neither  read  nor  write.  She  at 
once  set  to  work  to  learn  the  Chinese  characters ;  she  did 
not  ask  for  aid,  but  supported  herself  by  selling  needles, 
thread,  yarn,  etc.  She  made  rapid  progress  in  reading 
and  in  Gospel  knowledge.  Mr.  Nelson  says  it  is  a  com- 
mon thing  to  see  her  with  her  Testament  in  hand  going 
out  from  the  school  to  sit  at  some  home  and  tell  the 
'■  Story."  Her  education  necessary  for  the  best  work  is 
not  yet  complete,  but  while  now  doing  a  good  work 
she  is  still  engaged  in  educating  herself.  She  is  very 
correct  in  her  deportment,  and,  to  show  how  quick  she 
is  to  observe,  Mr.  Nelson  tells  that  when  she  first  en- 
tered their  foreign  built  house  she  remarked:  "  Your  re- 
ligion is  better  than  the  Chinese  religions ;  you  are  even 
allowed  to  move  your  chair  about  and  sit  where  you 
please ;  while  in  a  Chinese  house  chairs  are  not  to  be 
moved  from  their  places  against  the  walls."  These  women 
are  paid  not  more  than  two  dollars  and  a  half  a  month, 
barely  enough  for  food  and  clothing.  In  reference  to 
their  value  and  efficiency  in  the  mission  field,  I  give  Mr. 
Nelson's  exact  words  in  a  letter  to  me :  "  One  cannot 
overestimate  the  amount  of  good  done  in  China  by  a 


68  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

Bible-woman,  and  there  are  many  doing  work  which  far 
outshines  that  of  their  sisters  in  this  country  (America). 
It  can  be  said  of  many  of  these  humble  workers  what 
the  Lord  said  of  Mary — '  She  hath  done  what  she 
could.'  " 

We  will  now  be  compelled  to  take  leave  of  Canton; 
and  I  regret  that  we  cannot  visit  more  places  in  this 
quaint  old  city.  China  is  a  great  empire,  and  we  must 
travel  northward ;  should  you  desire  to  make  further  ex- 
ploration in  this  great  city  on  the  Pearl  River,  many 
other  stereographed  places  may  be  had  of  Underwood 
&  Underwood  that  will  enable  you  to  return  and  visit 
again  this  great  emporium  of  the  East. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  69 


SHANGHAI. 

You  have  not  forgotten  that  great  side-wheel  steamer 
that  lay  within  our  first  panorama  overlooking  the  river 
at  Canton ;  we  now  go  on  board  of  her  and  in  a  few  hours 
we  shall  be  landed  back  in  Hongkong,  our  starting- 
place.  From  Hongkong  we  shall  go  northward  over  a 
treacherous  sea  that  is  the  terror  of  navigators,  the  China 
Sea,  and  through  the  Formosa  Channel  to  Shanghai,  al- 
most a  thousand  miles  north.  But  what  will  it  cost,  do 
you  say?  Well,  that  depends  on  your  purse,  or  maybe 
on  your  fancy  or  on  your  economics ;  maybe  it  depends 
on  your  bringing  up.  If  you  have  but  recently  quit  your 
mother's  apron-strings  or  have  been  accustomed  to  a 
nice  bed  from  which  you  had  to  lay  away  the  lovely  pil- 
low-shams every  night,  why  you  must  go  first  class,  by 
the  French  Mail  or  the  P.  &  O.,  which  will  cost  you  about 
fifty  dollars.  If  you  are  a  graduate  from  the  school  of  hard 
experience  you  can  go  third  class  on  any  of  the  lines  ply- 
ing between  the  two  ports  for  about  fifteen  dollars.  An 
intermediate  passage,  comfortable  for  those  not  disturbed 
by  three  days  of  plain  living,  may  be  secured  for  twenty- 
five  dollars.  So,  then,  circumstances  being  a  dictator, 
let  us  decide  and  take  one  of  the  many  boats  that  leave 
Hongkong  and  touch  at  Shanghai.  But  why  do  I  say 
that  our  route  lies  over  a  part  of  the  ocean  that  is  the 


70  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

terror  of  navigators  ?  Simply  because  at  certain  seasons 
disastrous  tornadoes  occur  on  that  sea  and  in  the  For- 
mosa Channel.  The  channel  is  not  very  wide,  and  for 
that  reason  it  is  particularly  dangerous  during  typhoons ; 
but  we  shall  pass  through  in  the  early  spring  and 
typhoons  prevail  mostly  in  midsummer.  Therefore,  we 
have  nothing  to  dread.  In  three  days  we  shall  be  in 
Shanghai.  In  the  meantime,  on  our  way,  I  must  tell  you 
something  about  that  city,  and  when  we  arrive  we  shall 
find  an  elevated  position  as  we  did  at  Canton,  from  which 
we  can  get  a  general  view.  If  we  turn  to  Map  No.  2, 
the  map  of  "  Eastern  China,"  we  find  the  route  line  in 
red  which  shows  our  course  from  Canton  to  Shanghai. 
Far  out  at  sea,  before  entering  the  estuary  of  the 
great  Yang-tse-Kiang,  every  voyager  is  struck  by  the  dis- 
coloration of  the  water.  If  countless  giants  of  the  deep 
had  been  stirring  up  an  entire  sea-bottom  of  yellow 
ocher,  the  water  would  not  exhibit  a  more  turbid  yellow. 
This  discoloration  continues  far  north  through  what  is 
known  as  the  Yellow  Sea,  and  is  due  to  the  vast  amount 
of  yellow  deposit  from  the  two  great  rivers,  the  Yang-tse- 
Kiang  and  the  Hoang  Ho.  The  map  of  China  is  fre- 
quently drawn  on  so  small  a  scale  that  the  location  of 
the  city  of  Shanghai  appears  to  be  on  the  sea-coast ;  but 
by  the  sailing  course,  when  land  is  first  sighted,  we  are 
yet  forty  miles  from  the  city.  When  we  first  enter  the 
estuary  of  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  we  can  but  indistinctly 
discover  a  low  lying  land  at  a  great  distance  on  the 
horizon.     After  a  sail  of  nearly  twenty  miles  up  this 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE,  7 1 

broad  Amazon-like  river,  we  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
Wusung  River,  where  all  the  great  ocean  liners  anchor 
to  debark  passengers  for  Shanghai.  The  city  is  yet 
twelve  miles  distant  along  this  river  and  is  reached  by 
steam  launches  or  by  railway.  No  mountains  or  high 
lands  are  anywhere  in  sight.  The  Yang-tse,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Wusung,  is  like  a  broad  muddy  lake,  and  in  the 
direction  of  its  course  from  the  west,  the  horizon  is  a 
meeting  of  sky  and  water,  as  out  at  sea.  The  shore  is  a 
low,  fertile,  limitless  plain.  As  we  ascend  the  Wusung, 
one-story,  tile-roofed,  gray-brick  buildings  appear,  with 
evidences  of  excellent  cultivation  everywhere.  I  have 
said  that  the  great  ocean  liners  anchor  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Wusung;  yet  nearly  all  large  coasting  steamers  ascend 
the  river  and  discharge  cargo  at  the  docks  in  Shanghai ; 
even  light-draught  warships  anchor  in  the  river  before 
the  city. 

Consider  then  that  we  have  arrived  in  one  of  these 
coasting  steamers.  The  first  thing  that  requires  atten- 
tion is  our  baggage.  There  are  a  few  cabs  out  on  the 
street,  and  an  ample  supply  of  the  jaunty  little  man-carts 
called  jinrikishas,  or  "  rikishas."  These  are  for  passen- 
gers. For  luggage,  a  droll  array  of  wheelbarrows  is  in 
waiting — wheelbarrows  advanced  to  a  state  of  utility  and 
capacity  unknown  in  the  Western  world.  Our  luggage 
on  the  wheelbarrow  and  ourselves  mounted  on  a  dashing, 
coolie-propelled  "  rikisha,"  we  are  oflf  for  a  hotel  in  the 
European  quarter  of  the  city.  As  we  pass  along  we  are 
amazed  at  the  evidences  of  up-to-date  conditions — well- 


72  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

paved  streets,  magfnificent  modern  buildings,  street 
lamps,  electric  lights,  public  gardens  with  music-stands. 
We  can  scarcely  realize  we  are  in  the  land  of  the  China- 
man. But  for  a  panorama,  that  we  may  get  the  general 
view  of  the  city  which  I  promised  you,  we  will  ascend 
to  the  roof  of  the  Imperial  Bank  of  China  and  look  north- 
ward over  the  street  along  which  we  came  from  the  land- 
ing-place. 

First,  though,  let  us  turn  to  Map  5,  a  map  of  the  old 
city  of  Shanghai,  and  the  English,  French  and  American 
settlements.  The  city,  we  see,  is  situated  on  a  bend  in 
the  Wusung,  or,  as  it  is  often  called  here,  the  Whangpoo 
River.  At  this  point  we  find  the  river  flowing  in  from 
the  south  and  then  turning  to  the  northeast  to  the 
Yang-tse-Kiang,  from  which  we  have  come.  The  foreign 
settlements  are  located  on  the  west  and  north  bank  of 
the  river.  The  old  Chinese  city,  surrounded  by  a  wall, 
lies  just  south  of  the  foreign  settlements.  The  outline  of 
its  wall  is  shown  on  the  lower  portion  of  the  map.  Our 
steamship  wharves  are  found  on  the  northern  bank  of 
the  river.  Following  the  river  shore  to  the  Soochow 
Creek,  and  then  southward  along  the  Bund  or  Yangtsze 
road,  we  come  to  the  Imperial  Bank,  where  we  are  to 
stand  first  in  Shanghai.  The  red  lines  connected  with 
the  number  16,  which  branch  toward  the  north  from 
this  point,  show  what  our  field  of  vision  is  to  be.  Ac- 
cording to  these  lines  we  should  have  the  Whangpoo 
River  on  our  right  and  part  of  the  row  of  buildings  front- 
ing the  river  on  our  left. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  73 

i6.  From  the  Imperial  Bank  of  China  (N.)  along 
Whangpoo  River,  over  the  English  and  American 
Quarters,  Shanghai. 

There  is  the  busy  Whangpoo  to  our  right.  It  is  a 
half-mile  in  width  here  and  turns  first  toward  the  north- 
east, then  again  to  the  north ;  so  that  its  confluence  with 
the  Yang-tse-Kiang  and  the  anchorage  of  the  large  ocean 
vessels  lies  directly  north  of  us  in  line  with  the  direction 
of  our  vision  and  twelve  miles  distant.  On  our  arrival 
we  landed  about  a  half-mile  farther  down  the  stream,  to 
the  right  of  the  farthest  building  we  can  see.  In  our 
"  rikishas  "  and  with  our  wheelbarrows  laden  with  lug- 
gage we  came  along  a  street  a  short  distance  in  the  rear 
of  those  far-away  buildings  ;  then,  along  the  street  before 
us,  which  is  the  center  of  the  English  quarter  of  the 
European  settlement.  The  American  quarter  begins  at 
the  bend  in  the  river  and  extends  down  stream  farther 
than  we  can  see.  The  French  quarter,  which  we  shall 
see  from  our  next  position,  lies  behind  us  and  extends 
southward  to  the  walls  of  the  native  city. 

Our  more  distant  surroundings  are  considerably 
changed  from  what  they  were  at  Hongkong.  Pekin  is 
now  about  six  hundred  miles  directly  in  front  of  us ;  the 
homes  of  millions  of  Chinese  lie  off  to  our  left,  while  the 
island  empire  of  Japan  lies  directly  to  our  right. 

You  need  scarcely  be  told  that  there  is  little  in  this 
scene  immediately  before  us  that  is  typical  of  China ;  the 
buildings  are  not  Chinese ;  the  well-paved  streets  lined 
with  shade-trees,  and  the  green  lawns  near  the  river,  in 


74  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  distance,  are  not  Chinese;  just  beyond,  at  the  end 
of  that  promenade  next  the  water,  you  see  a  small,  round 
dome  that  is  just  within  a  paling  that  surrounds  beauti- 
ful public  gardens ;  they  are  not  Chinese ;  those  tall  posts 
bearing  myriad  wires  that  span  the  streets  tell  of  a  busy, 
ceaseless,  commercial  enterprise  that  is  not  Chinese. 
There  are  other  poles  in  the  distance,  poles  to  bear  the 
emblems  of  patriotism;  oflF  in  the  American  quarter  we 
can  see  three  flags  in  the  breeze;  they  are  a  half-mile 
away,  but  I  imagine  I  can  see  the  stars  and  stripes ;  they 
indeed  are  not  Chinese.  Those  tall  chimneys  off  in  the 
American  quarter  symbolize  modern  manufacturing  in- 
dustries that  cannot  be  Chinese ;  those  dismasted  clipper- 
hulls  in  the  river  are  not  junks,  but  old  "  have-beens  "  re- 
fitted to  receive  cargoes  of  opium,  which,  owing  to  heavy 
duties,  is  not  landed  but  held  in  these  hulls  for  reship- 
ment;  neither  are  these  Chinese;  so  you  must  see  that 
on  the  river-front,  at  least,  little  can  be  seen  to  tell  you 
we  are  in  China  or  in  even  the  Orient.  A  few  things, 
however,  are  not  quite  familiar  to  Western  eyes — the 
sampans  and  house-boats  are  huddled  along  the  water- 
front and  around  the  landing-stages ;  the  "  rikishas  "  are 
bounding  along  the  street  below  us,  drawn  by  Chinese 
coolies  or  "  rikisha-men."  This  jinrikisha  mode  of  loco- 
motion has  become  one  of  the  institutions  of  the  East. 
You  see  one  of  them  below  us  bowling  along  at  a  lively 
gait  with  a  European  gentleman  on  the  seat ;  you  may  see 
others  waiting  for  customers.  They  are  everywhere ;  at 
railway  stations,  at  boat-landings,  at  churches  on  Sunday, 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  75 

standing  before  hotels  and  shops ;  they  take  the  place  of 
the  cab,  the  tramway  and  the  trolley;  indeed,  in  many 
respects  they  are  more  convenient  and  much  less  expen- 
sive than  the  cab.  Their  speed  is  about  the  same  as 
that  of  an  ordinary  horse-carriage,  while  they  will  carry 
one  to  any  part  of  the  city  for  five  cents,  or,  by  the  day, 
at  ten  cents  an  hour.  The  "  rikisha-men  "  have  wonder- 
ful endurance  and  maintain  a  constant  run ;  but  they  are 
said  to  be  short-lived. 

The  post  and  cable  offices  are  on  this  street,  to  our  left, 
between  us  and  the  public  gardens ;  the  Custom-house, 
the  banks  and  most  of  the  principal  offices  are  here  also. 
You  would  like  to  know  whether  European  Shanghai  is 
confined  to  this  street  along  the  river?  By  no  means. 
You  may  travel  westward  or  away  from  the  river  for  a 
mile  and  still  be  within  a  densely  populous  city ;  but  only 
a  few  streets  away  from  the  front  will  you  find  modem 
buildings;  beyond  this,  although  still  within  the  Euro- 
pean quarter,  you  will  find  the  buildings  and  population 
largely  Chinese.  For,  with  business  instincts,  the  na- 
tives are  not  slow  to  locate  in  the  European  portions 
of  every  city.  Later  we  shall  go  to  see  a  street  in  the 
Chinese  portion  of  European  Shanghai.  In  this  city  we 
have  the  best  opportunity  possible  of  comparing  and 
contrasting  the  East  and  the  West,  Chinese  civilization 
with  European ;  but  before  making  further  comparison 
we  will  change  our  position  to  the  tower  of  the  Custom- 
house, which  is  a  little  behind  the  large  building  beyond 
the  trees  on  our  left.     From  that  point  we  shall  look  in 


^6  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  opposite  direction,  southward,  and  up  the  river  to- 
ward the  native  city. 

On  the  map  of  Shanghai,  Map  No.  5,  the  red  lines 
which  start  from  the  Custom-house,  just  north  of  our 
first  position,  and  branch  toward  the  southeast  to  the  map 
margin,  give  our  next  field  of  vision.  The  number  17  is 
connected  with  these  lines. 

17.    I,ooking  South  into  the  French   Quarter  and  to- 
ward  the  Native  City,  Shanghai. 

Now  we  have  the  river  on  our  left.  We  are  looking 
nearly  south.  The  native  city  lies  in  the  distance  before 
us,  and  many  hundred  miles  in  that  direction  is  Formosa 
and  the  Philippine  Islands.  A  short  distance  in  front  of 
us  we  can  see  the  place  we  have  just  come  from. 

That  fine  building  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  street 
is  the  Imperial  Bank  of  China,  and  we  looked  from  that 
dormer  window  in  this  direction  toward  the  north.  In 
that  first  outlook  over  the  city  we  saw  flag-poles ;  in  this 
direction  we  see  others.  I  think  we  can  see  the  English 
flag  on  the  first  one  and  the  French  red,  white  and  blue 
on  the  signal  staflF  by  the  black  ball. 

I  have  alluded  to  the  suitableness  of  Shanghai  for  a 
comparison  between  Chinese  and  European  civilization ; 
this  comparison  you  could  make  better  should  I  take  you 
through  the  native  city,  for  it  is  considered  a  typical  Chi- 
nese city;  but  I  am  afraid  you  will  have  to  judge  in  a 
measure  from  what  you  have  seen  of  Canton  and  from 
what  you  will  see  later  of  other  cities  and  be  satisfied  with 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  77 

this  distant  view  of  the  native  city.  I  entered  it  several 
times  for  the  purpose  or  getting  a  representative  view  and 
as  often  returned  in  despair.  There  is  no  accessible  point 
of  elevation  over  the  city  for  a  panorama;  there  is  no 
street  with  light  and  space  enough  to  enable  one  to  ob- 
tain a  view.  It  is  a  wilderness  of  low,  one-story  build- 
ings with  weather-blackened  tile  roofs,  surrounded  by 
five  miles  of  old  crenulated  brick  wall,  and  is  supposed 
to  contain  about  a  million  inhabitants.  Within  it  is  trav- 
ersed by  lanes  or  streets  which  might  better  be  termed 
fetid  tunnels  seething  with  filth  and  teeming  with  miser- 
able and  vicious-looking  humanity.  Odors  are  suffo- 
cating, and  the  eyes  can  find  nothing  attractive  or  beauti- 
ful to  rest  upon ;  squalor,  indigence,  misery,  slush,  stench, 
depravity,  dilapidation,  decay  prevail  everywhere.  One 
almost  fears  to  enter  a  place  of  so  many  repugnant  scenes 
and  hurries  away  after  a  brief  glance.  The  saying  that 
"  distance  lends  enchantment  "  will  answer  for  the  native 
city  of  Shanghai ;  therefore,  you  will,  I  hope,  be  satisfied 
to  view  the  dim  outline  of  it  by  those  long,  square  struc- 
tures near  the  white  space  far  away  and  in  line  with  that 
signal  staff  which  bears  the  French  flag  and  marks  the 
beginning  of  the  French  quarter  of  the  city.  In  greatest 
possible  contrast  there  lies  directly  before  us  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Bund  in  the  European  city,  where  all  is  bustle 
and  activity ;  the  streets  are  broad,  well  macadamized  and 
lined  with  beautiful  trees.  The  houses  are  surrounded 
by  gardens  filled  with  fragrant  shrubs  and  flowers.  The 
river  before  the  native  city  is  a  chaos  of  junks  and  sam- 


78  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

pans;  here,  out  in  the  stream  are  many  fine  coasting 
steamers  from  all  ports  of  the  Empire,  and  farther  up  you 
see  lying  at  the  wharf  stately,  modem  steamers  that 
ply  on  the  Yang-tse  or  down  the  coast  to  Ningpo.  The 
suburbs  of  European  Shanghai  are  dotted  with  magnifi- 
cent villas.  Both  banks  of  the  Wusung  are  lined  with 
factories  and  ship-yards.  There  are  churches,  libraries, 
theaters,  clubs  and  race-courses;  there  are  dances  and 
dinner  parties.  All  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  Western 
life  are  to  be  found  side  by  side  with  what  I  have  men- 
tioned within  the  walls  of  the  native  city.  The  contrast 
is  marvelous  in  our  eyes.  Yet  stranger  still  is  the  fact 
that,  though  the  Chinese  note  the  contrast,  they  are,  with 
few  exceptions,  happy  in  their  own  way.  They  live  in 
the  present,  guided  by  the  past;  with  them  the  present 
and  the  past  are  wedded,  and  a  divorcement  of  the  two 
is  wonderfully  slow.  In  this  case  a  little  leaven  will 
scarcely  "  leaven  the  whole  lump."  It  will  require  every 
influence  for  a  great  period  of  time;  it  will  require  the 
missionary  seconded  by  the  locomotive  and  possibly  by 
"  Krupps,"  and  this  for  many  generations.  We  can  see 
the  French  settlement  commencing  at  the  signal-pole 
and  continuing  on  to  the  wall  of  the  native  city,  showing 
all  the  concomitants  of  Western  progress.  Just  notice 
those  jaunty  wide-awake  little  steam  launches  by  the 
landing-stages  side  by  side  with  the  sampans.  There  is 
a  comparison  by  itself ;  you  may  notice  at  the  same  time 
that  those  sampans  are  quite  dissimilar  in  model  to  those 
we  saw  in  Canton.     In  this  direction  we  see  again  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  79 

promenade  along  which  pedestrians  stroll  to  enjoy  the 
river  breeze  in  hot  summer  weather ;  and  the  same  street 
life,  the  "  rikishas,"  some  scudding  along  with  an  occu- 
pant and  others  waiting  in  the  shade  of  those  trees ;  but 
here  we  also  see  the  indispensable  wheelbarrow  doing 
transport  service.  Could  you  tell  by  those  little  docks 
or  landing-steps  that  extend  along  the  bank  of  the  river 
as  far  as  we  can  see  that  there  is  a  tide  at  Shanghai  ?  They 
are  made  for  a  rise  and  fall  of  several  feet,  and  this  is  to 
accommodate  the  tides. 

Do  you  remember  that  when  we  were  at  Hong- 
kong I  told  you  that  a  building  for  storing  goods 
is  called  a  "  godown  "  in  the  East?  Up  the  river,  in 
the  French  section  by  those  white  river-boats,  you  can 
see  a  range  of  large  godowns.  When  I  returned  from 
the  north  of  China  I  was  obliged  to  store  my  luggage  in 
those  godowns  until  I  had  complied  with  the  tedious 
Custom-house  requirements.  While  looking  in  this  di- 
rection permit  me  to  remind  you  that  in  a  few  days  we 
shall  make  a  trip  from  Shanghai  to  Ningpo,  and  when 
we  go  we  shall  take  that  first  large  white  steamer  lying 
on  the  hither  side  of  the  godowns.  Have  you  noticed 
another  opium  clipper  in  this  outlook?  If  that  great 
hull  were  filled  with  opium  at  ten  dollars  per  pound,  a 
moderate  wholesale  price,  it  would  be  worth  a  risky, 
piratical  "  hold-up." 

We  have  obtained  a  general  view  of  European  Shang- 
hai along  the  river- front ;  have  looked  toward  the  French 
settlement,  in  which  the  streets  have  French  names.    We 


8o  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

have  seen  the  American  settlement,  where  the  principal 
street  is  called  Broadway  and  the  leading  hotel  the  Astor 
House;  and  now,  as  I  promised  to  show  you  a  street 
back  from  the  river,  a  street  in  which,  while  in  the  Euro- 
pean section,  the  shops  and  inhabitants  are  altogether 
Chinese,  we  will  leave  our  elevated  view-point  over  the 
Custom-house  and  enter  Nankin  Road,  a  cross-street 
which  leads  from  the  Bund  through  the  heart  of  the 
English  settlement. 

X*.  Rich  Native  Bazaars  on  Nankin  Road,  Principal 
Chinese  Street  in  the  l^nglish  Settlement,  Shang- 
hai. 

Here  we  are  looking  nearly  eastward  and  toward  the 
Bund  in  a  street  which,  although  filled  with  Chinamen 
and  lined  with  Chinese  shops,  is  plainly  not  in  a  typical 
Chinese  city;  the  streets  are  broad,  well  macadamized 
and  clean,  very  unlike  the  narrow,  filthy  lanes  seen  in  any 
really  Chinese  city.  The  sidewalks  are  broad  and  well 
flagged;  those  poles  and  wires  again  give  a  Western 
aspect.  Those  chimneys  in  the  distance  to  the  right 
plainly  tell  that  we  have  not  gone  far  into  the  native 
quarter  to  gain  a  glimpse  of  the  Chinese  portion  of  the 
settlement;  yet  it  shows  again  how,  aligned  side  by  side, 
the  East  and  the  West  are  slow  to  assimilate. 

There  is  one  feature,  however,  about  this  street  which 
gives  more  evidence  of  assimilation ;  it  leads  out  to  the 
most  fashionable  suburbs  and  to  the  race-course,  and 
on  Sundays  and  during  the  cool  afternoon  hours  of  week- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE,  Si 

days  it  is  filled  with  stylish  modern  vehicles,  many  of 
which  are  occupied  and  owned  by  wealthy  Chinese,  in- 
cluding the  "  upper-ten-dom  "  of  Chinese  ladies,  elegant- 
ly attired,  richly  bejeweled  and  coiffured  and  painted. 
That  these  Chinese  drive  out  in  European  carriages, 
that  they  attend  the  races,  are  among  the  hopeful  signs 
that  there  is  a  trifling  infiltration  of  occidentalism. 

Here,  again,  is  the  "  rikisha,"  showing  its  inward  con- 
struction and  suggesting  a  stunted  survival  of  the  "  One- 
hoss  Shay."  Standing  nearest  us  is  one  of  England's 
Indian  soldiers  who  aspires  to  live  in  art  as  a  man  of  let- 
ters and  has  probably  succeeded  beyond  his  hopes  when  he 
halts  for  a  moment  before  the  camera.  Notice  his  cos- 
tume, his  khaki  suit,  his  curious  cap,  his  heavy  shoes,  and 
especially  his  leggings ;  they  are  such  as  are  worn  by  all 
his  Majesty's  native  troops  in  India,  not  buttoned  nor 
laced  at  the  side,  but  consisting  of  a  continuous  piece  of 
cloth  wrapped  from  the  foot  upward  to  the  knee  and  fas- 
tened. Many  English  officers  and  men  have  adopted  this 
style  of  legging.  A  noteworthy  physical  feature  of  near- 
ly all  East  Indian  types  is  a  deficiency  of  calves;  but 
that  cannot  be  regarded  as  an  intellectual  disparagement 
if  it  be  true  according  to  anthropologists  that  all  human 
development  is  headwards ;  it  is  quite  easy  to  believe  on 
general  principles  that  the  less  calf  the  more  brain.  Not- 
withstanding this  headward  development  theory,  I  am 
rather  suspicious  of  the  literary  attainments  of  this  Hin- 
doo, as  real  scholars  are  not  always  fond  of  disporting 
literature. 


82  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

It  is  quite  plain  that  here,  as  usual,  the  people  are 
watching  the  operator;  but  the  picture-making  process 
is  not  altogether  strange  to  them.  There  are  at  least 
five  or  six  well-equipped  photographic  galleries  in  this 
street,  all  belonging  to  Chinamen  and  well  supplied  with 
the  latest  appurtenances  of  the  art. 

We  will  pass  along  this  street  and  obtain  a  view  of  a 
typical  China  tea-house. 

ig.    IfOoking   across  Nankin   Road  to   a   Native  Tea- 
bouse,  Shanghai. 

We  can  readily  see  we  are  still  on  the  wide  and  well- 
kept  street  of  the  European  quarter,  but  the  building 
opposite  is  Chinese  except  the  upper  half-roof,  which  is 
covered  with  corrugated  iron,  an  entirely  foreign  prod- 
uct. It  is  a  matter  of  commercial  interest  to  see  into 
what  general  use  this  corrugated  iron  has  come,  not 
only  in  the  coast  towns  in  China,  but  in  our  newly  ac- 
quired islands  in  the  East,  where  it  constitutes  a  large 
part  of  the  building  material ;  indeed,  in  Manila,  I  de- 
cided on  different  occasions  that  it  was  useless  to  make 
panoramic  views  looking  over  central  portions  of  the  city 
because  it  was  one  monotonous  characterless  glare  of 
corrugated  iron.  The  universal  Chinese  roofing  is  the 
dingy  tile.  It  is  the  upper  part  of  the  building  across 
the  way  which  is  the  tea-house.  The  ground  floor  is  oc- 
cupied by  different  shops  with  their  fronts  widely  open 
to  the  street,  and  the  native  proprietors  are  standing  in 
the  doorway  to  see  what  is  attracting  the  attention  of 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  S$ 

those  outside.  You  will  note  that  most  of  the  persons  in 
this  gathering  are  of  the  better  class — merchants,  clerks, 
servants — many  of  them  wearing  caps  which  generally 
indicates  a  rank  above  the  coolie,  who  is  the  most  menial 
type  of  the  East.  A  few  have  come  out  upon  the  bal- 
cony to  witness  what  is  taking  place  on  the  street.  No- 
tice that  the  rail  on  that  balcony  has  turned  balusters, 
which  tells  us  that  they  use  the  lathe.  Notice,  too,  that 
there  is  some  elaborate  carving  in  wood  on  the  panels  of 
the  wall. 

The  tea-house  is  a  national  institution  in  China ;  they 
are  found  in  every  city  and  town  and  village,  and  even 
in  country  places  by  the  wayside,  where  they  consist 
often  of  a  shed  or  a  simple  shelter  of  thatch  or  matting. 
It  may  be  said  that  they  take  the  place  of  the  beer  saloon 
of  the  Western  world.  Comparisons  may  be  odious,  but 
in  studying  a  people  or  a  nation  one  is  compelled  to 
make  them,  and  since  reaching  Shanghai  most  of  the 
comparisons  have  been  against  the  Chinaman;  but  in 
the  matter  of  the  respective  national  resorts,  as  the  tea- 
house versus  the  beer-saloon,  a  comparison  is  scarcely 
admissible,  because  the  frequenters  of  the  tea-house  are 
people  of  the  highest  respectability,  and  I  cannot  say  so 
much  in  reference  to  patrons  of  the  beer-saloon. 

To  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us  is  a  moral  impossi- 
bility, and  could  we  do  so  it  would  scarcely  mend  matters, 
as  the  ethical  vision  of  the  second  person  would  probably 
be  no  better  than  that  of  the  first;  but  it  is  curious  to 
reflect  on  what  would  be  the  impressions  of  a  Chinese 


84  CHINA   THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

gentleman  who  should  for  a  first  time  pass  through  an 
American  city  or  a  single  street  of  an  average  American 
town  and  examine  the  character  of  our  national  resort, 
the  beer-saloon — what  they  drink  and  how  they  act 
therein,  the  numerical  relation  between  the  bakery  and 
the  beer-shop ;  the  unaccountable  antics  and  bestiality  of 
alcoholic  drunkenness;  the  suffering,  the  wretchedness, 
the  crime,  the  starvation  arising  therefrom.  He  might 
at  the  same  time  see  a  frequenter  of  this  national  resort 
come  staggering  to  the  door  and  in  drunken  stupor  and 
maudlin  profanity  point  his  finger  of  scorn  at  some  poor 
humble,  industrious  tea-drinking  Chinaman  passing  by. 
His  first  impression  surely  would  be,  "  Is  this  Western 
civilization  ?  " 

I  need  not  describe  the  beer-saloon ;  it  is  well  known ; 
but  it  will  be  interesting  to  inspect  the  tea-house.  First, 
though,  note  the  native  ix)liceman  in  regulation  garb ; 
his  feet,  his  arms  and  his  head  are  all  in  a  position  that 
clearly  betrays  a  consciousness  of  authority  over  his  fel- 
lows about  him.  Just  at  the  right-hand  side  of  that  front 
we  will  enter  and  ascend  to  the  room  above,  where  we 
can  see  the  interior  of  the  Chinese  national  resort. 

20.    Interior  of    a    Tea-bouse,    the    Chinese  National 
Resort,  Shanghai. 

Seated  on  one  of  these  black  stools  we  are  permitted 
to  look  around;  if  you  spy  any  drunken  men  about  do 
not  fail  to  call  my  attention,  because,  while  I  have  been 
many  times  in  these  tea-houses,  I  have  never  yet  seen 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  85 

any  in  such  a  condition.    A  tea-house  usually  consists  of 
two  large  rooms  furnished  with  many  small  tables  and 
square  stools,  as  you  see  here.     The  rooms  are  deco- 
rated with  handsome  mirrors,  rich  carving  in  wood,  and 
elegant  painted  wall-screens.    You  see  the  tops  of  these 
tables  are  of  mottled  marble;  the  frame-work  and  the 
stools  are  of  rich  black  wood.     The  rooms  are  lighted 
by  large  lanterns  of  glass  set  in  wooden  frames,  which 
you  can  see  suspended  from  the  ceiling.    There  is  a  fine 
French-plate  mirror  just  behind  that  little  fellow  ad- 
vancing with  a  plate  of  sweetmeats.    In  the  rear  of  this 
room  there  is  a  large  kitchen  where  professional  cooks, 
noted  for  their  cleanliness,  are  employed  in  making  all 
sorts  of  pastry.    A  peculiar  feature  of  these  kitchens  is 
the  large  stock  of  boiling  water  kept  on  hand  and  sold  at 
two  cash  a  kettleful — two  cash  being  about  one-eighth  of 
a  cent.     This  is  a  rather  clever  bit  of  economy  where 
fuel  is  quite  expensive,  and,  some  time,  perhaps,  stands 
for  the  sale  of  hot  water  may  become  a  paying  business 
in  America  when  the  exigencies  of  vastly  increased  popu- 
lation compel  a  more  grinding  economy.    As  guests  en- 
ter and  seat  themselves  at  these  tables,  trays  of  sweet- 
meats and  fruits  of  many  sorts  are  placed  on  the  tables 
occupied.     Small  cups  of  tea,  well  made  but  never  strong 
as  it  is  taken  in  Western  countries,  are  also  placed  before 
the  guests.    When  the  temperate,  harmless  beverage  is 
finished,  guests,  the  occasional  guests,  are  expected  to 
leave  and  give  place  to  others ;  but  the  man  of  leisure 
may  be  expected  to  spend  his  excess  of  time  here  in  tea- 


86  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

inspired  sociality  with  friends  and  neighbors.  To  in- 
crease the  hilarity  proprietors  often  engage  vocalists  and 
professional  story-tellers  and  reciters  who  sing  and  relate 
and  recite  all  day  long.  Smaller  rooms  are  connected 
with  these  places  in  which  those  addicted  to  the  opium 
habit  can  retire  to  inhale  the  fumes  of  that  seductive 
alkaloid.  But,  you  will  say,  is  not  the  opium  habit  as 
pernicious  in  its  effects  as  that  of  alcohol  ?  In  a  word  I 
would  answer.  No.  I  think  the  two  habits  do  not  admit 
of  comparison.  Old  men  are  found  here  who,  between 
their  pipes  and  occasional  cups  of  tea,  pass  away  many 
weary  hours.  All  classes  are  found  here;  but  not  both 
sexes.  It  is  not  considered  proper  for  females  to  fre- 
quent the  tea-houses.  Public  thoroughfares  are  natural- 
ly chosen  for  tea-rooms ;  they  are,  therefore,  not  infre- 
quently found  adjoining  temples  and  yamens.  This, 
then,  is  what  I  have  called  the  national  resort  of  China, 
with  seldom  anything  more  than  tea  for  a  beverage  and 
sweetmeats  and  the  pipe  as  indulgences.  You  see  these 
men  at  the  tables ;  the  trays  of  cakes  and  fruits  have 
been  mostly  removed ;  the  small  teacups  may  be  refilled. 
The  delicious  tea  costs  less  than  a  cent  a  cup;  there  is 
no  drunkenness  here;  there  are  no  bar-room  brawls; 
there  may  be  the  mild  merriment  and  sociability  that 
come  of  theine,  but  not  the  maniacal  madness  of  alcohol. 
I  leave  further  comparison  between  the  beer-saloon  of 
the  West  and  the  tea-house  of  the  East  for  your  own 
making. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  87 

You  may  see  two  pipes  standing  on  the  table  by  the 
teacups;  they  are  not  opium-pipes,  but  a  not  uncommon 
style  of  metal  tobacco-pipe.  The  horizontal  bowl  is  filled 
with  water;  the  small  upright  bowl  for  the  tobacco  is 
attached  to  the  top  of  the  water-bowl ;  a  small  quantity 
of  tobacco  is  used  at  one  time ;  the  smoke  is  drawn 
through  the  water  and  thereby  cooled  and  purified.  Wa- 
ter-pipes in  endless  varieties  are  used,  not  only  in  China, 
but  in  all  Oriental  countries ;  so  between  sipping 
draughts  of  mild  tea  and  whiffing  a  smoke  well  freed  of 
its  harmful  alkaloid,  the  Chinaman  whiles  away  his  lei- 
sure. 

Notice  the  old  man  by  the  first  table;  according  to 
Shakespeare  he  must  be  a  great  thinker ;  for  the  peerless 
poet  makes  Caesar  say:  "Yon  Cassius  has  a  lean  and 
hungry  look ;  he  thinks  too  much  ;  such  men  are  danger- 
ous." One  lady  noticing  the  sharp,  thin  face  of  this  man 
remarked,  "  When  the  Chinese  are  skinny  they  are  so 
awful  skinny !  "  Well,  I  must  tell  you  that  this  lean, 
hungry-looking  specimen  was  my  guide  at  this  tea- 
house; that  I  found  him  not  only  hungry-looking,  but 
hungry,  indeed ;  for  no  sooner  had  we  entered  the  place 
than  he  ordered  a  cup  of  tea  for  himself,  and  ordered  his 
cup  several  times  refilled. 

I  smiled  at  his  many  generous  draughts ;  but  when 
leaving  the  place  I  learned  that  although  his  face  was 
thin,  there  was  no  lack  of  "  cheek  " ;  the  several  cups 
were  all  charged  to  me.  The  cup  was  small  and  the  bill 
was  small,  but  the  "  cheek  "  was  huge.     This  was  the 


88  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

third  time  in  the  one  day's  service  that  this  old  picked-up 
guide  had  "  squeezed  my  pigeon  " ;  but  I  should  explain 
this  curious  phrase,  which  is  current  and  well  understood 
in  all  parts  of  China  where  the  so-called  "  pigeon  Eng- 
lish "  is  spoken.  "  Pigeon,"  or  "  pigin,"  is  as  near  as  the 
Chinese  lingual  organs  can  come  to  saying  business.  A 
Chinaman,  for  instance,  who  wishes  to  say,  "  That  is  not 
my  business,"  will  say,  "  That  no  my  pigeon."  All  Chi- 
nese servants,  without  exception,  will  in  some  way  get 
a  commission  or  a  profit  out  of  any  handling  of  money 
for  their  employers.  If  you  send  a  servant  to  buy  an 
article  he  will  in  some  way  get  a  percentage  out  of  the 
transaction.  This  is  called  "  squeezing  the  pigeon." 
This  habit  is  universal  and  often  extremely  tantalizing. 
It  is  so  thoroughly  engrafted  on  the  Chinese  business 
code  that  severe  and  repeated  floggings  will  not  check 
it. 

Now  that  we  have  taken  our  first  lesson  in  pigeon 
English,  I  will  return  to  my  guide  the  tea-drinker.  On 
the  same  day  this  cadaverous-looking  old  Cassius  ac- 
companied me  to  the  native  city  where  he  pretended  that 
certain  fees  were  required,  a  part  of  which,  I  am  sure,  he 
kept  himself.  Later  in  the  day  he  engaged  to  find  a 
native  woman  who  would  allow  her  compressed  feet  to 
be  photographed;  he  found  one  who  would  thus  ex- 
pose her  feet  for  two  dollars,  as  he  said.  I  afterward 
learned  that  he  paid  the  subject  one  dollar  and  kept  the 
other  himself.  Thus  at  this  tea-house  was  my  "  pigeon 
squeezed  "  for  the  third  time  in  one  day.    As  we  reached 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  89 

the  Street  I  entered  a  "  rikisha  "  and  said  to  my  hungry 
old  guide:  "You  squeeze  my  pigeon  three  times,  I 
squeeze  your  pigeon  one  time,"  and  deducted  from  his 
pay  three  "  squeezes,"  and  we  parted. 

During  my  stay  in  Shanghai  a  desperate  river  pirate 
was  captured.  He  had  previously  committed  several 
murders ;  but  his  last  offense  was  the  gouging  out  of  a 
man's  eyes.  He  was  taken  in  this  crime  and  brought 
to  the  native  city  where  he  was  tried  before  a  Chinese 
tribunal  and  condemned  to  die  by  what  is  known  as  the 
cage. 

ax.    One  of  China's  Most  Terrible  Methods  of  Death 
Punishment,  the  "Cage,"  Shanghai. 

The  public  announcement  that  the  death  penalty  by 
the  "  cage  "  was  to  be  inflicted  upon  this  notorious  fiend 
created  great  excitement  among  the  natives  of  Shanghai. 
This  means  of  execution  had  not  been  employed  for 
many  years ;  few  had  ever  seen  a  criminal  in  a  "  cage," 
which  consists,  as  you  can  see,  of  a  frame  of  rough  sticks 
sufficiently  high  to  allow  a  man  to  stand  erect  within. 
Boards  are  placed  close  around  his  neck  and  made  fast 
to  the  frame ;  flat  stones  are  placed  beneath  his  feet,  sup- 
porting him  about  twelve  inches  above  the  ground.  After 
a  stated  time  these  stones  are  removed  one  by  one,  caus- 
ing a  gradual  suspension  by  the  neck  and  a  slow  strangu- 
lation. Before  the  termination  of  this  prolonged  death 
penalty,  the  criminal  in  his  cage  is  compelled  to  stand 
one  day  before  each  gate  of  the  city.     There  are  six 


90  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

gates  to  the  old  city  of  Shanghai ;  that  means  a  week  of 
unimaginable  fatigue  before  the  scornful  gaze  of  crowds 
in  the  thoroughfares.  During  all  that  time  public  curi- 
osity was  increasing  and  the  daily  crowd  was  becoming 
larger.  When  I  heard  of  this  unusual  spectacle  of  a 
caged  criminal,  I  arranged  with  a  Chinese  shopkeeper, 
with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted,  to  go  with  me  as 
interpreter,  he  being  able  to  speak  a  little  English.  To- 
gether we  visited  several  gates  before  we  could  locate  the 
prisoner.  We  had  heard  beforehand  that  the  condemned 
man  was  charging  fifty  cents  each  for  snapshots.  When 
we  finally  found  him  he  was  surrounded  by  an  im- 
penetrable crowd  of  natives,  and  his  charges  had  gone 
up  to  five  dollars  under  a  lively  patronage.  We  found 
we  had  to  negotiate  with  the  police  in  charge,  who  were 
evidently  dividing  the  "  squeezes  "  with  the  prisoner.  My 
Chinese  friend  succeeded  after  tedious  parley  in  a  surg- 
ing crowd  in  reducing  the  license  from  five  Mexican 
dollars  to  four,  with  the  proviso  that  the  crowd  must  be 
cleared  out  of  the  way,  and  that  the  prisoner  must  re- 
move his  hat  and  turn  his  face  toward  the  light.  To 
this  the  police  agreed  and  the  four  dollars  had  to  be  paid 
beforehand.  In  this  way  the  view  was  secured.  It  is 
rare  because  this  form  of  death  penalty  is  rarely  imposed. 
Notice  how  he  holds  the  straw  hat,  which  by  our  verbal 
contract  he  was  obliged  to  remove ;  and  note  also  the 
peculiarities  of  his  hair ;  his  queue  has  been  removed  and 
his  front  hair  allowed  to  grow.  This  is  always  done 
with  criminals.     The  queue  and  the  shaven  front  are 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  pi 

marks  of  loyalty  to  the  reigning  dynasty  and  not  per- 
mitted on  the  part  of  those  under  condemnation.  Notice 
the  iron  hasps  on  the  side  of  the  cage,  through  which 
poles  are  put  to  carry  it  from  gate  to  gate;  also  the  flat 
stones  beneath  his  feet  soon  to  be  removed  one  by  one. 
His  ruling  passion  (the  "  squeeze  ")  is  strong  in  death. 
This  is  the  last  gate,  and  to-morrow  means  the  removal 
of  the  first  stone.  When  the  morrow  came  this  poor 
callous  wretch  was  dead;  his  friends  had  smuggled  in 
to  him  during  the  last  night  a  mortal  draught,  and  he 
cheated  the  cage  of  its  intended  strangulation.  I  asked 
my  Chinese  friend  what  this  man,  condemned  to  ig- 
nominious death,  would  do  with  this  money.  He  re- 
plied, "  Give  to  his  people."  Here  again  is  filial  piety. 
His  face  is  not  so  bad,  less  Mongolian  than  most  in  that 
horde  behind ;  but  the  capacity  for  heartless  crime  was 
there,  and  he  paid  the  penalty.  This  is  one  of  the  many 
strange  devices  for  torture  and  punishment  practiced  in 
China;  further  on  in  our  itinerary  I  will  explain  others. 
From  one  of  the  modes  of  penalty  we  will  proceed  to  a 
place  where  I  can  show  you  one  of  the  modes  of  fashion. 
Dame  Fashion  is  a  tyrannical  mistress  in  all  countries, 
and  not  less  so  in  China  than  elsewhere.  She  contracts 
waists  in  America  and  compresses  feet  in  China.  You  are 
accustomed  to  see  the  former  contracted  beyond  the  nor- 
mal condition,  but  not  the  latter ;  so  we  will  enter  a  room 
at  the  hotel  where  you  can  see  what  has  rarely  been  seen, 
the  unwrapped,  exposed  small  feet  of  a  Chinese  woman. 
All  the  world  has  heard  of  these  small  feet,  but  very  few, 


92  CHINA   THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

even  of  the  missionaries  who  dwell  in  that  land,  have  ever 
seen  them. 

sta.  A  High-caste  I^adys  Dainty  "Idly  Feet,"  Show- 
ing Method  of  Deformity  (Shoe  Worn  on  Great 
Toe  Only),  Shanghai. 

Here  they  are  in  every  particular  of  repulsive  malfor- 
mation, and  they  are  called  "  lily  feet."  What  a  slander 
on  that  floral  gem!  Much  has  been  written  about  this 
strange  custom  of  binding  the  feet,  and  many  different 
ideas  advanced  as  to  its  origin.  Some  Chinese  tell  us  that 
it  was  a  handicap  placed  on  woman's  gadding  proclivities 
many  centuries  ago.  Another  tradition  tells  how  a  beau- 
tiful princess,  having  club  feet,  so  skillfully  concealed  the 
fact  that  others  imitated  her  methods  and  in  this  way  her 
imitators  brought  about  a  fashion  of  binding  the  feet.  I 
am  more  inclined  to  believe,  however,  that  it  is  an  inno- 
vation of  fashion;  that  through  all  time  small  feet  have 
been  considered  more  comely  than  large  feet ;  and  fashion 
exaggerates  every  means  to  an  end,  and  this  custom  has 
been  exaggerated  into  a  deformity  in  China.  Western 
nations  are  not  guiltless  in  this  matter ;  corns  and  bunions 
and  other  feet  ailments  are  often  attributable  to  feet-bind- 
ing by  shoes  which  are  too  small.  Any  person  who  wears 
shoes  a  size  or  a  half-size  too  small  lives  in  a  glass  house 
and  must  not  criticise  foot-binding  in  China;  it  is  there- 
fore a  matter  of  degree  and  not  principle.  The  Chinese 
insist  that  tight  lacing  in  Western  countries  is  in  worse 
taste  and  more  injurious  to  health  than  feet-binding;  that 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  93 

the  waist  is  more  vital  than  the  feet,  and  that  a  sUght 
compression  of  the  former  is  more  disastrous  than  even 
malformation  of  the  latter.  It  is  generally  believed  that 
feet-binding  is  only  practiced  by  the  upper  classes,  and 
that  "  lily  feet "  are  a  badge  of  refinement;  later  writers 
and  travellers  in  China  claim  this  is  a  mistake,  and  my 
own  observations  have  been  that  it  is  practiced  by  all 
classes  except  the  Manchus,  though  no  doubt  less  by  the 
lower  class,  who  are  obliged  to  work. 

Doubtless  you  would  like  to  know  the  process  by  which 
this  deformity  is  accomplished.  When  the  little  miss  has 
her  muscles  of  locomotion  fairly  well  developed,  say  at 
from  five  to  eight  years  of  age,  pieces  of  cloth  from  two 
to  three  inches  wide  are  wound  tightly  around  the  feet, 
commencing  at  the  great  toe  and  winding  upward  to  and 
over  the  ankle ;  the  toes  are  turned  under,  as  you  see  them 
in  this  case ;  the  heel  is  drawn  toward  the  sole  of  the  loot 
until  the  two  extremes  are  nearly  in  contact;  other  and 
stronger  wrappings  are  added ;  occasionally  the  bandages 
are  removed  and  readjusted;  the  circulation  is  sufficiently 
arrested  to  stop  further  growth  and  development.  This 
process  of  binding  is  never  abandoned  even  in  adult  life. 
Should  the  bandages  be  removed,  an  undesirable  expan- 
sion will  follow,  but  never  to  a  normal  condition.  Disuse 
of  the  feet  deteriorates  the  muscles  of  the  legs,  and  the 
calves  almost  disappear;  but  this  adds  to  the  symmetry 
of  the  ideal  female  form  which,  according  to  the  Chinese 
fancy,  should  taper  gradually  from  the  shoulders  to  the 
point  of  the  little  foot.     These  dainty  feet  are  well  nigh 


94  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

useless  for  pedestrian  purposes,  and  impart  a  gait  which 
one  can  imitate  perfectly  by  trying  to  walk  on  the  heels 
without  touching  the  front  part  of  the  foot  to  the  ground. 
Possibly  you  would  like  to  know  how  I  succeeded  in 
getting  this  view,  since  I  have  told  you  they  are  so  seldom 
seen.  You  remember  my  old  guide  at  the  tea-house  who 
"  squeezed  the  pigeon  "  when  trying  to  find  me  a  small- 
footed  subject.  He  promised  to  find  for  me  a  woman 
who  would  allow  her  feet  to  be  photographed.  I  went 
with  him  to  a  native  quarter  of  the  city,  where  he  said  he 
had  bargained  with  a  pretty  girl;  because  I,  of  course, 
stipulated  that  the  face  should  be  pretty  as  well  as  the 
feet,  for  art  purposes.  He  took  me  by  devious  ways  to 
an  upper  floor,  where,  after  haggling  with  the  inmates  for 
a  tedious  length  of  time,  he  brought  forth  an  unusually 
comely  specimen  who  giggled  after  the  fashion  of  girls 
the  world  over ;  but  she  had  not  been  made  to  understand 
that  her  feet  must  be  unbound,  and  when  this  was  ex- 
plained to  her  she  fled  precipitately,  and  no  money  con- 
sideration would  tempt  her  to  return.  We  left  and  tried 
another  home  in  which  the  subjects  offered  were  too  ugly 
for  consideration.  We  tried  a  third  house,  to  which  we 
were  followed  by  a  wild  gang  of  idlers,  who  wondered 
what  the  "  fangwei  "  (foreign  devil)  was  in  search  of. 
We  entered  a  back  yard  where  gates  and  doors  had  to  be 
barred  to  keep  out  the  crowd.  Here,  after  much  delay 
and  trouble,  I  secured  a  picture  of  an  unsatisfactory 
specimen,  for  which  I  paid  two  dollars.  Some  time  after 
this  experience  I  engaged  a  Chinese  waiter  at  the  hotel  to 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  95 

find  a  more  suitable  subject.  After  an  extended  search 
he  found  one  girl,  who,  for  a  consideration  of  four  Mexican 
dollars,  would  come  to  the  hotel  and  unwrap  her  feet  for 
the  camera.  She  was  poor,  and  four  silver  dollars  was  a 
tempting  sum;  necessity  has  no  choice.  She  came,  ac- 
companied by  her  mother,  underwent  the  humiliation,  and 
the  result  is  now  before  you  for  inspection.  Long  usage 
has  taught  them  to  look  upon  small  feet  as  beautiful ;  but 
it  is  only  when  they  are  encased  in  dainty  silken  shoes  that 
they  are  presentable.  Their  unwillingness  to  expose  them 
shows  a  consciousness  of  their  repulsive  appearance  when 
unbound.  The  small  feet  of  the  Chinese  women  are  not 
so  small  as  they  appear  to  be ;  the  sharp  front  part  of  the 
foot  is  wedged  into  the  small  shoe,  while  the  heel  is  lifted 
up  into  the  leg  of  the  shoe,  thus  giving  the  appearance  of 
a  foot  scarcely  three  inches  long,  when  in  reality  it  may 
be  six  or  seven  inches.  I  have  occupied  considerable 
space  in  telling  you  about  feet-binding,  because  it  is  prob- 
ably the  most  extraordinary  of  all  Chinese  customs. 

You  will  remember  that  while  viewing  the  city  from  an 
elevation  I  pointed  out  a  large  white  steamer  at  the  dock. 
We  shall  board  that  steamer  in  the  evening,  pay  $7.50  for 
a  first-class  fare,  and  during  the  following  forenoon  shall 
be  landed  at  Ningpo,  which,  as  our  map  of  eastern  China 
shows,  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  south  of 
Shanghai. 

S3.    At  the  Steamer  Landing,  Ningpo. 

We  have  left  the  steamer  and  have  taken  our  position 
on  a  street  leading  from  the  landing  to  the  city.     We  are 


96  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

looking  eastward  down  the  Ningpo  River,  up  which  we 
have  just  come.  Close  to  us  is  a  crowd  of  coolies  and 
the  merchandise  to  be  put  on  board  for  Shanghai.  By 
descending  the  river  and  continuing  directly  eastward  for 
ninety-five  miles  we  would  arrive  at  Chusan,  in  the  group 
of  islands  of  the  same  name.  We  have  here  again  the 
same  busy  scene  to  be  witnessed  at  every  port  in  China, 
the  ever-present,  burden-bearing  coolie  who,  in  his  own 
country,  bids  defiance  to  every  form  of  labor-saving  ma- 
chine. He  is  a  labor-machine  himself — willing,  patient, 
full  of  endurance  and  contentment  on  ten  cents  a  day,  and 
such  a  thing  as  a  strike  has  never  dawned  on  his  ox-like 
wilHngness  to  do  an  ox's  work.  His  labor  has  been  of 
great  value  to  his  country  and  to  the  world ;  but  who  has 
ever  thought  of  erecting  a  monument  in  recognition  of  the 
world's  indebtedness  to  the  poor  coolie.  You  may  notice 
how  he  often  folds  his  queue  about  his  head  to  be  less  in- 
convenient. We  are  seeing  this  place  on  the  last  day  of 
April ;  by  the  shadows  you  know  the  sun  is  shining ;  by 
the  umbrellas  you  know  it  is  warm.  For  greater  com- 
fort some  of  the  coolies,  like  the  Russian  peasants,  are 
wearing  their  shirts  outside  their  trousers,  and  I  am  not 
sure  but  it  is  the  proper  way.  One  or  two  women  may 
be  seen  in  this  crowd.  I  imagine  some  of  these  bales  con- 
tain charcoal,  as  large  quantities  of  it  are  shipped  to 
Shanghai;  we  can  see  junks  in  the  river;  Ningpo  is  an 
important  place  for  junk-building.  We  can  see  European 
houses  in  the  distance  by  the  river.  Ningpo  was  taken 
by  the  British  in  1841,  and  is  now  a  treaty  port.     It  is  en- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  97 

compassed  by  a  wall  twenty-five  feet  in  height  and  con- 
tains a  population  of  about  250,000.  T)ie  Chinese  con- 
sider Ningpo  as  one  of  the  finest  cities  in  the  Empire ;  but 
to  Europeans  it  is  difficult  to  find  much  that  may  be  con- 
sidered fine;  the  streets  are  narrow  and  dirty,  and  it  is 
intersected  by  numerous  canals  which  are  not  by  any 
means  Venetian  in  general  effect.  And,  as  in  all  cities  in 
China,  everything  is  out  of  repair;  there  are  no  signs  of 
progress;  no  new  buildings  or  bridges;  everything  is 
old;  everything  is  dilapidated;  everywhere  there  is  dirt 
and  disorder.  Pope  makes  order  "  Heaven's  first  law," 
but  it  is  surely  the  tail-end  of  the  Chinese  code. 

Let  us  find  some  one  among  those  natives  to  guide  us 
into  the  city.  After  a  half  hour's  walk  we  shall  find  a 
position  on  the  upper  floor  of  a  native  shop,  from  which 
we  can  overlook  a  long  bridge  of  boats. 

^4.    Bridge  over  the  Fung  Wha   Branch   of  the   Tang 
River,  Showing  Catholic  Church,  Ningpo. 

This  bridge  is  usually  a  great  thoroughfare  in  Ningpo, 
especially  on  market  days,  when  it  is  lined  from  end  to 
end  with  sellers  of  all  kinds  of  country  produce,  as  well  as 
manufactured  goods.  On  such  days  it  is  next  to  impos- 
sible to  pass  over  it,  and  ferrymen  do  a  flourishing  busi- 
ness, when  this  branch  of  the  river  is  impeded  by  the  mul- 
titude of  small  boats  carrying  passengers  to  and  fro.  The 
bridge  is  two  hundred  yards  long  and  five  broad,  made  of 
sixteen  lighters  chained  together  and  covered  with  planks 
securely  lashed,  the  whole  line  of  boats  being  held  by 


98  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

anchors.  This  is  plainly  not  a  market  day  from  the  small 
line  of  people  on  the  bridge.  It  was  while  making  this 
view  that  I  espied  a  woman  crossing  with  hair  coiffured 
in  a  most  unusual  and  fantastic  style.  I  dispatched  my 
native  guide  in  great  haste  to  intercept  her  and  negotiate 
a  pose,  but  all  attempts  and  money  offers  were  unavailing. 
Her  hair  was  arranged  in  a  thin,  vertical  coil,  projecting 
about  eight  inches  from  her  head  behind  and  noticeable  at 
any  distance.  The  wearers  of  this  odd  coiffure  are  female 
barbers  and  belong  to  an  order  called  the  "  To  min."  I 
cannot  just  now  see  one;  but  only  a  second  ago  one  of 
them  was  on  the  bridge  near  us.  There  are  three  thou- 
sand in  the  "  To  min  "  set,  and  they,  like  the  Tankia  at 
Canton,  are  despised  by  the  general  community.  The 
men  are  not  allowed  to  compete  in  the  examinations  or 
follow  an  honorable  vocation ;  they  are  often  actors,  mu- 
sicians or  sedan-chair  carriers.  The  women  are  profes- 
sional match-makers  and  barbers,  and  are  obliged  to  wear 
a  distinctive  dress.  The  "  To  min  "  are  supposed  to  be  de- 
scendants of  one  Kin  who  aided  the  Japanese  in  their  at- 
tack on  this  province;  hence  the  odium  which  has  rested 
upon  them  ever  since.  It  is  often  charged  that  the  Chi- 
nese lack  patriotism,  but  this  prejudice  against  the  "  To 
min  "  surely  resembles  patriotism. 

You  see  a  part  of  the  steeple  of  the  Catholic  Church 
beyond  the  river.  A  Christian  Church  in  the  heart  of  a 
Chinese  city  is  always  a  wonderful  sight  because  of  its 
power  of  suggestion.  It  always  seems  to  say :  "  Look  on 
this  picture  and  on  this."     The  missionary  work  has  long 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  99 

been  well  established  in  Ningpo.  All  denominations  are 
represented,  and  it  is  said  that  the  people  in  this  province 
have  been  more  susceptible  to  Christian  influence  than  in 
many  other  parts  of  the  country.  The  sights  that  meet 
the  eye  in  Ningpo  are  very  similar  to  those  we  have  seen 
in  Shanghai  and  Canton,  but  still  there  are  some  curious 
things  worthy  our  attention. 

We  will  cross  that  bridge  and  pass  yonder  church.  On 
our  way,  in  a  yard,  a  timber-yard,  we  will  call  it,  we  shall 
stop  to  inspect  an  unusual  and  ancient  kind  of  saw-mill. 

aj.    Itumber  Makers  in  a  Chinese  Saw-Mill,  Ningpo. 

This  is  truly  the  saw-mill  of  the  country;  it  is  every- 
where in  the  rural  districts,  in  the  villages,  in  the  great 
cities ;  even  in  the  great  cities  like  Shanghai  and  T,ien-tsin, 
where  manufacturers  are  partially  Europeanized.  This 
primitive  method  of  lumber  making  still  bears  the  sway 
and  the  smart  modern  steam  saw-mill  can  scarcely  com- 
pete. T.his  mill  will  generally  run  threescore  and  ten 
years  without  any  important  renovation  or  restoration; 
besides,  it  is  not  an  eight-hour  mill ;  it  runs  from  sunrise 
to  sunset  and  seven  days  in  the  week,  and  never  goes  on  a 
strike;  it  contains  an  automatic  free  orchestra  attach- 
ment which  furnishes  music  all  day  long;  that  is,  they 
sing  as  they  work.  It  turns  out  between  two  and  three 
hundred  feet  of  lumber  per  day.  The  running  expenses 
are  trifling:  mill  rent,  twenty  cents;  fuel  (rice),  ten 
cents ;  extra  mill  hands,  nothing ;  natural  wear  and  tear, 
nothing;    total  daily  running  expense  of  the  mill,  thirty 


loo  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

cents.  Here  we  have  another  example  of  the  invaluable 
labor  of  the  unhonored  coolie.  See  if  you  can  tell  how 
this  heavy  timber  is  supported  rigidly  erect  for  the  heavy 
strain  of  a  cross-cut  saw.  The  timber  was  not  put  in 
place  for  the  camera;  the  coolies  simply  stopped  their 
work  for  a  moment.  Then  we  are  to  remember  that  this 
is  the  kind  of  mill  that  supplies  the  largest  empire  in  the 
world  with  lumber.  Have  you  ever  seen  a  cross-cut  saw 
like  that?  It  is  after  the  fashion  of  our  buck-saw,  used 
horizontally,  with  the  saw  at  right  angles  to  the  frame; 
that  is  the  universal  model  of  saw  for  the  East,  both  for 
light  and  heavy  work.  This  is  a  timber  yard  as  well  as  a 
saw-mill.  There  is  a  stack  of  bamboo  poles  of  all  sizes, 
destined  to  be  used  for  almost  every  conceivable  purpose. 
We  will  give  those  poor  toilers  a  few  cash  and  proceed 
on  our  way  until  we  reach  a  beautiful  temple  called  the 
Fukien  Guild  Hall. 

26.    The   Dragon   Guarding  the  Front  of  the  Ftikien 
Guild  Hall,  Ningpo. 

This  magnificent  structure  was  first  erected  in  the 
twelfth  century  by  men  from  the  Province  of  Fukien, 
which  lies  south  of  Chien  Kiang,  the  province  in  which 
Ningpo  is  located.  It  was  rebuilt  in  1680,  and  one  can 
scarcely  believe  from  the  bright  new  appearance  of  the 
carved  columns  that  it  has  been  standing  as  we  now  see  it 
for  over  two  hundred  years.  It  has  a  large  membership 
of  wealthy  men  and  is  richly  endowed.  These  Guild  Halls 
in  the  Flowery  Kingdom  correspond  to  clubs  in  Western 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  lOl 

countries ;  they  are  social  and  semi-commercial,  being  a 
meeting  place  for  commercial  and  literary  men  and  peo- 
ple of  wealth  and  standing.  The  buildings  cover  an  ex- 
tensive area,  arranged  in  different  halls  of  one  story  with 
a  courtyard  in  front  of  each.  Merchants  from  the  same 
province  of  Fukien  have  erected  another  beautiful  Guild 
Hall  at  Canton  at  a  cost  of  $120,000.  In  some  of  the  halls 
a  stage  is  erected  for  theatrical  performances,  and  from  a 
balcony  members  and  their  friends  can  enjoy  the  enter- 
tainments. In  other  halls  shrines  are  dedicated  to  differ- 
ent so-called  deities,  such  as  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  the 
God  of  Learning,  etc.  This  Fukien  Guild  Hall,  or  temple, 
is  said  to  be  dedicated  to  the  Marine  Goddess,  Ma  Tsupu. 
There  is  also  in  some  part  of  the  temple  area  an  Ancestral 
Hall,  in  which  tablets  are  erected  in  memory  of  departed 
members  of  the  guild  or  club.  The  appearance  of  this 
place  on  festal  occasions  is  animated  and  brilliant.  Lan- 
terns and  scrolls  are  suspended  from  the  ceilings  on  which 
curious  characters  and  devices  are  written  in  gorgeous 
colors.  The  rich  and  elaborate  magnificence  of  the  carv- 
ing on  those  columns  you  can  observe  from  where  we 
stand.  Some  of  these  columns,  my  guide  told  me,  were 
executed  in  Amoy  and  others  in  Ningpo ;  they  are  mono- 
lithic and  of  fine  gray  granite.  We  have  noticed  from 
time  to  time  on  our  journey  the  lack  of  architectural 
beauty  and  attractiveness  in  Chinese  buildings.  The  An- 
cestral Hall  in  Canton  was  beautiful.  In  this  clubhouse 
we  have  another  evidence  that  the  Chinese  are  not  devoid 
of  architectural  art  and  taste.     These  columns  would  not 


I02  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

disgrace  the  carver's  cunning  in  any  age  or  country. 
Just  notice  how  deHcate  in  every  detail,  how  rich  the  de- 
signs and  in  what  elaborate  and  bold  relief  are  the  figures 
on  the  columns  of  this  porch. 

The  two  national  emblems  are  here  brought  before  us 
so  conspicuously  and  in  such  beautiful  art  that  I  must  tell 
you  something  about  them.  I  mean  the  dragon  and  the 
lion.  What  the  lion  and  the  unicorn  are  to  England,  and 
what  the  eagle  is  to  America,  the  dragon  and  the  lion  are 
to  China.  They  are  the  chief  national  emblems ;  you  will 
see  them  everywhere  in  art  and  decoration.  The  dragon 
is  the  symbol  on  the  Imperial  flag ;  the  lion  is  the  guard- 
ian of  every  home,  shop  and  temple.  Every  people  must 
have  a  mythology;  human  nature  takes  to  myth  as  to 
food;  it  seems  almost  an  indispensable  psychological  ali- 
ment, and  the  people  of  the  Middle  Kingdom  are  no  ex- 
ception. The  whole  empire  is  filled  with  mysterious  influ- 
ences, which,  of  course,  must  be  localized  and  symbolized. 
In  Chinese  mythology  there  is  not  one  dragon,  but  many ; 
there  is  the  Celestial  dragon  which  presides  over  the  man- 
sions of  the  gods;  the  divine  dragon  which  causes  the 
winds  to  blow.  The  Buddhists  consider  their  dragons  as 
numerous  as  the  fish  of  the  sea ;  but  the  fabulous  dragon 
with  scales  and  claws  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  Jupiter  or  Odin 
in  their  polytheism  ;  he  performs  many  functions.  He  is 
represented  as  a  flying  Saurian,  yet  without  wings ;  plain- 
ly a  different  species  from  the  one  encountered  by  St. 
George.  He  is  always  represented  as  a  scaly  five-clawed 
crocodile ;  he  presides  over  the  elements ;  he  has  power  to 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  103 

become  visible  or  invisible;  in  short,  he  is  a  factotum  in 
their  divinity  business.  He  is  the  crest  on  royal  monu- 
ments, is  displayed  on  the  Emperor's  robes,  and  the  Grand 
Chair  of  State  is  called  the  dragon  throne. 

Next  in  importance  after  the  dragon  is  probably  the 
lion.  He  figures  conspicuously  in  porcelain,  in  bronze,  in 
painting,  in  sculpture,  in  every  form  of  decoration ;  he  is 
conventionalized  into  many  grotesque  forms  with  feathery 
spreading  tail  and  bulging  eyes.  You  may  see  him  carved 
in  stone  before  every  yamen  and  temple  and  official  resi- 
dence; at  the  shop  doors  in  every  street  you  will  see  him 
carved  in  wood  and  gilded.  The  lion,  therefore,  seems  to 
be  a  one-headed  Cerberus  charged  with  the  big  task  of 
guarding  all  the  important  doors  of  the  Empire.  Cerbe- 
rus required  three  heads  to  guard  the  entrance  to  Hades, 
and  two  stern  lions  always  guard  important  doorways  in 
China.  These  guardian  lions  may  be  stone  during  the 
day,  but  they  are  good,  vigilant,  live  lions  during  the 
night,  so  it  is  believed,  and  it  is  said  they  may  be  seen 
roaming  about  at  hours  when  children  should  be  in  doors. 
Recalling  these  things,  we  can  better  understand  why  the 
lion  and  dragon  are  in  such  high  esteem  and  how  they 
outrank  all  other  divinities  in  the  Chinese  mythology. 
We  should  not  fail  to  note  carefully  the  splendidly  carved 
dragons  on  those  graceful  columns  and  the  one  of  the  two 
lions  which  guard  the  door  of  this  matchless  Guild  Hall. 
Do  not  make  a  mistake  and  confound  our  guide  who  rests 
on  the  porch  with  the  Cerberus  on  the  pedestal,  because 
they  are  both  lions  on  this  occasion. 


I04  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

Before  returning  to  the  ship  which  takes  us  back  to 
Shanghai,  we  will  enter  one  hall  of  a  Buddhistic  temple 
to  look  for  a  few  moments  at  some  gigantic  statues  of 
Buddha. 

37.    Colossal  Statues  of  Buddha  in  Fucboo   Temple, 
Ningpo. 

I  have  already  told  you  something  about  Buddha  and 
the  philosophy  which  he  taught.  We  saw  statues  in  the 
temple  of  the  Five  Hundred  Genii  at  Canton,  dedicated 
to  the  memory  of  distinguished  followers  of  that  great 
philosopher ;  and  here  we  have  before  us  great  statues  of 
Buddha  himself.  Probably  no  person  ever  lived  who  has 
had  so  great  a  number  of  statues  erected  to  his  memory. 
You  know  how  widespread  are  his  teachings,  and  memo- 
rial statues  are  as  universal  as  his  teachings.  Xhese  im- 
mense figures  are  carved  out  of  wood  according  to  the 
conventional  model  of  Buddhas  the  world  over,  i.e.,  in  the 
sitting  posture  with  legs  crossed  somewhat  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  sartorial  artist  of  earlier  days,  with  eyebrows 
thinly  trimmed  down  and  with  looped  pendent  ear  lobes. 
It  is  said  that  "  Humility  is  the  mark  of  every  master 
mind."  Observe  how,  in  his  downcast  gaze,  the  concep- 
tion of  humility  has  been  wrought  out  as  a  proper  attri- 
bute of  the  real  philosopher;  at  the  same  time  there  is 
the  expression  of  repose  as  one  who  has  mastered  all  the 
ills  of  life  and  attained  Nirvana.  The  world  of  Buddhism 
is  full  of  these  statues  of  all  sizes  and  of  all  materials. 
There  is  one  in  Japan  visited  by  many  travellers.     It  is 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  10$ 

made  of  bronze,  and,  although  in  a  sitting  posture,  is  for- 
ty-four feet  in  height.  I  have  seen  some  wonderful  mono- 
lithic statues  of  Buddha  in  Ceylon  cut  from  prodigious 
granite  bowlders  and  standing  erect  forty  feet  in  height ; 
also  some  of  about  an  equal  length  lying  prostrate  in  the 
rock  temples  at  Dambulla,  not  far  from  the  same  place. 
Even  in  this  temple  you  may  see  the  ubiquitous  dragon 
wriggling  in  that  ornate  background  of  the  statue. 

We  must  now  make  our  obeisance,  and  leaving  the 
presence  of  this  august  image  of  the  great  Indian  phi- 
losopher, zigzag  our  way  through  teeming  multitudes 
to  our  ship.  Returning  again  to  Shanghai,  we  enter 
the  vehicle  which  I  likened  to  the  "  One-Hoss  Shay," 
and  passing  around  the  native  city  enter  the  compound 
of  the  South  Gate  Presbyterian  School,  where  we  will 
find  a  charming  group  of  native  schoolgirls  under  the 
care  of  Miss  Cogdal  and  receiving  instruction  in  em- 
broidery. 

s8.  Re£neinent  and  Industry  for  China's  Masses — 
Girls  Making  Mnibroidery  at  South  Gate  Presby- 
terian Mission  School,  Shanghai. 

Embroidery  is  a  high  art  in  China.  It  is  carried  to 
wonderful  perfection.  The  garments  of  the  upper 
classes  are  decorated  most  elaborately  in  richest  colors 
of  the  rarest  needle-craft.  Nearly  all  garments  are  made 
of  either  silk  or  satin.  Embroidery  is  the  crowning  glory 
of  every  wardrobe,  and  a  wardrobe  in  China  is  not  pre- 
tentious until  it  reaches  a  value  of  from  five  to  ten  thou- 


I06  CHINA   THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

sand  dollars.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  manual  industries 
of  the  country.  It  is  all  hand-work  and  performed  by 
women  and  girls  in  the  homes  and  not  in  factories.  It 
is  not  confined  to  wearing  apparel.  It  is  for  furniture, 
wall  decoration,  screens,  indeed,  for  everything  in  which 
rich  silk  fabric  can  form  a  part,  from  chair  cushions  to 
the  royal  robes  of  the  Imperial  Court.  For  skill  in  this 
cunning  the  Chinese  women  are  unexcelled.  Birds,  but- 
terflies, flowers,  life  figures  and  portraiture  are  all  mar- 
velously  executed  in  the  most  exquisite  colors  and  de- 
signs. Their  national  trait  of  patience  is  the  prerequisite 
for  embroidery.  Here  you  see  a  number  of  girls,  nearly 
all  from  families  of  the  better  class,  some  grown  to  wom- 
anhood, others  little  tots,  all  neatly  attired  and  as  dili- 
gent as  ants,  at  work  on  pieces  of  embroidery,  stretched 
on  sticks,  after  the  fashion  of  the  quilting  frame  of  by- 
gone days.  It  would  be  impossible,  in  all  China,  nay,  in 
all  the  world,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  to  find  a  more 
comely  and  cultured  group  of  girls  than  these ;  so  gentle, 
so  refined,  so  modest.  No  high-pitched  voices,  no  ri- 
valry in  smart  talk,  no  gossip,  but  infinite  skill  in  their 
handicraft.  It  is  impossible  to  realize  how  many  such 
as  these  were  sacrificed  during  the  Boxer  war.  At  the 
time  I  was  here  these  pure  young  hearts  were  saddened 
with  the  dread  of  the  coming  night.  It  was  at  the  be- 
ginning of  that  uprising  when  many  feared  an  attack 
at  Shanghai.  And  at  this  school  several  natives  and  oth- 
ers connected  with  the  mission  were  doing  guard  duty 
every  night ;  but  no  attack  was  ever  made.    Distance  de- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  I07 

stroys  sympathy,  and  those  far  away  cannot  realize  how 
terribly  cruel  and  wanton  and  widespread  was  the  butch- 
ery of  innocence  in  that  relentless  war.  This  school  is 
located  quite  away  from  the  European  settlement  in  one 
of  the  suburbs  of  the  native  city  and  is  surrounded  alto- 
gether by  a  native  population.  It  was  apparently  under 
excellent  management,  and  when  these  girls  were  al- 
lowed for  the  first  time  to  look  at  some  of  Underwood 
&  Underwood's  stereoscopic  photographs  through  the 
stereoscope,  they  were  quite  overpowered  with  curiosity, 
wonder  and  amazement;  and  when  they  learned  they 
were  to  be  stereographed  they  hopped  about  in  the  most 
lively  fashion,  as  girls  are  wont  to  do  when  their  joy  be- 
comes ecstatic.  They  could  scarcely  be  longer  held  at 
the  plodding  work  of  embroidery ;  they  were  all  in  a 
frolic  when  Miss  Cogdal  gave  license  for  a  romp  in  the 
yard.  Then  to  show  me  how  Occidental  these  Oriental 
girls  are  becoming  under  Western  tuition.  Miss  Cogdal 
assembled  her  little  flock  for  an  exercise  with  the  dumb- 
bells.   You  may  now  see  them  in  their  beautiful  garden. 

39.  Training  of  Body  and  Mind  and  Sonl — Chinese 
Children  at  Dumb-bell  Exercises,  Soatb  Gate 
Presbyterian  Mission  School,  Shanghai. 

The  little  girls  are  placed  in  front,  the  larger  ones 
in  the  rear ;  they  all  engage  in  the  exercises  with  eager- 
ness and  animation  and  acquit  themselves  seemingly  as 
well  as  Western  girls  could  do.  I  desire  especially  to  call 
your  attention  to  their  bright  faces.     On  several  occa- 


Io8  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

sions  before  I  have  asked  you  to  notice  the  sad  and  ex- 
pressionless faces  in  native  groups ;  but  these  counte- 
nances are  scarcely  more  than  half  Mongolian ;  they  are 
bright  and  cheerful.  This  is  partially  owing  to  the  fact 
that  they  have  just  been  looking  through  the  stereoscope 
and  are  at  this  moment  being  immortalized  after  the 
fashion  of  the  subjects  of  the  views  they  have  seen,  and 
partly  to  the  loving  influence  of  their  kindly  teacher. 
We  find  here  no  bare  feet  nor  dirty  faces,  no  soiled  gar- 
ments ;  all  are  neat  and  tidy,  and  from  refined  homes 
and  under  a  faithful  American  teacher. 

The  eager  and  uncontrollable  desire  of  these  children 
to  see  themselves  in  the  stereoscope  was  almost  pitiful. 
Some  four  months  later  when  I  returned  from  Pekin 
and  the  North,  I  secured  a  stereoscope  for  their  teacher 
with  a  picture  of  the  class.  I  found  the  school  had  been 
removed  to  safer  quarters  within  the  settlement.  When 
the  stereoscope  and  the  pictures  were  presented  to  Miss 
Cogdal  she  could  scarcely  repress  her  clamorous,  im- 
portunate pupils,  who  clung  to  her  skirts,  awaiting  their 
turns  to  witness  their  own  faces  under  the  magical  ef- 
fect, as  it  seemed  to  them,  of  the  stereoscope. 

Keeping  in  mind  that  those  pupils  in  the  rear  of  the 
line  are  young  ladies,  I  must  tell  you  how  carefully  girls 
of  the  upper  class  are  reared  as  regards  moral  and  social 
training;  though  we  are  not  to  forget  that  China  is  full 
of  paradoxes  and  contradictions.  I  have,  heretofore, 
told  you  that  women  are  slaves  and  playthings  and  held 
in  but  slight  respect.    Now  I  am  about  to  tell  you  how 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  109 

carefully  the  better  class  are  trained  in  moral  and  do- 
mestic duty.  In  reconciliation  of  these  paradoxical  state- 
ments, let  me  quote  from  a  preface  of  a  most  interesting 
little  book  translated  from  the  Chinese  by  Mrs.  S.  L. 
Baldwin:  "  Few  people  in  the  West  have  any  intelligent 
conception  of  the  remarkable  civilization  that  has  ex- 
isted in  China  for  hundreds  of  years,  and  this  in  strange 
contrast  with  her  squalor,  poverty  and  heathenism." 
Wherever  we  go  in  this  "  Flowery  Kingdom  "  we  are 
meeting  these  contradictions,  viz.:  remarkable  civiliza- 
tion and  amazing  barbarism;  so  that  one  is  constantly 
admiring  and  as  constantly  in  a  mood  of  imprecation. 
The  little  book  to  whose  translation  I  have  referred,  is  a 
book  of  etiquette  entitled:  "Instruction  for  Chinese 
Women  and  Girls."  This  extraordinary  little  book  of 
etiquette  was  written  over  eighteen  hundred  years  ago 
by  one  Pang  Tai  Ku,  a  very  celebrated  literary  woman, 
and  her  instructions  are  so  remarkable  when  we  con- 
sider the  time  at  which  they  were  written  that  I  cannot 
refrain  from  quoting  some  portions  to  you  while  these 
little  girls  and  young  ladies  are  before  you ;  because  we 
can  scarcely  help  associating  their  grace  and  good  breed- 
ing with  such  moral  teaching  as  has  come  down  through 
the  centuries  from  Pang  Tai  Ku.  Let  me  first  give  you 
the  introduction  to  this  venerable  book  of  etiquette: 
"  Tai  Ku,  your  handmaid,  is  of  an  illustrious  family  and 
was  a  philosopher's  wife.  I  have  tried  to  perfect  myself 
in  the  four  womanly  virtues,  which  are:  First,  carefulness 
of  deportment,  which  includes  manners,  dress,  and  all 


no  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

outward  conduct ;  second,  all  womanly  duties ;  third,  talk- 
ing little  and  that  of  profit ;  fourth,  to  be  virtuous.  Hav- 
ing but  few  duties,  I  made  books  a  study.  I  also  earnest- 
ly tried  to  follow  the  example  of  the  '  nine  upright  wom- 
en' and  '  three  chaste  ones '  (ancient  Chinese  women 
distinguished  for  their  virtues). 

"  It  is  lamentable  that  succeeding  women  have  not 
followed  in  their  footsteps.  Because  of  this  I  have  pre- 
pared this  book  and  desire  it  to  be  carefully  handed 
down  for  the  benefit  of  girls  and  women." 

ON   THE  CULTIVATION   OF  VIRTUE. 

All  girls  everywhere, 

First  should  learn  to  cultivate  virtue. 

Of  cultivating  virtue's  method, 

The  most  important  is 

To  be  pure  and  upright  in  morals; 

If  pure,  you  are  clean  inside  and  outside; 

Chastity  is  your  body's  glory; 

Having  it,  all  your  acts  shine. 

When  walking,  look  straight,  turn  not  your  head; 

Talking,  restrain  your  voice  within  your  teeth; 

Sitting,  don't  shake  your  knees — a  common  fault  with  men. 

Standing,  keep  quiet  your  skirts; 

When  pleased,  laugh  not  aloud ; 

If  angry,  still  make  no  noise; 


USING  THE  NEEDLE. 

To  embroider  shoes,  stitch  stockings, 
Mend  clothes,  and  unite  cloth. 
Trim  and  quilt  garments. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE. 

All  such  work  should  you  be  able  to  do. 

If  you  follow  these  instructions, 

Whether  it  be  cold  or  warm, 

You  will  have  suitable  clothing. 

And  rags  and  poverty  you  will  not  know. 

Do  not  imitate  lazy  women 

Who  from  youth  to  womanhood  have  been  stupid 

Not  having  exerted  themselves  in  woman's  work. 

They  are  prepared  for  neither  cold  nor  warm  weather. 

Their  sewing  is  so  miserable 

People  both  laugh  at  and  despise  them. 

The  idle  girl  going  forth  to  be  married. 

Injures  the  reputation  of  her  husband's  whole  family. 

Her  clothes  are  ragged  and  dirty. 

She  vainly  pulls  the  West  over  to  cover  the  East — 

(A  sly  pull  to  hide  a  rent). 

She  is  a  disgrace  to  her  village. 

I  thus  exhort  and  warn  the  girls. 

Let  them  hear  and  learn. 

ON  ATTENTION  TO  DOMESTIC  DUTIES. 

Girls  must  learn  to  sweep  and  clean ; 
What  cannot  be  swept  must  be  washed. 
Think  not  such  work  unimportant; 
Everyone  will  see  your  neatness, 
And  your  whole  house  will  be  bright. 

Industry  builds  the  house, 

Idleness  will  pull  it  down. 

Great  riches  are  the  gift  of  Heaven, 

A  satisfying  supply  the  gift  of  Industry. 

ON  THE  TREATMENT  OF  GUESTS. 

All  families  should  be  hospitable. 
When  a  guest  is  expected, 


Hi  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

See  that  the  chairs  and  tables, 

Plates  and  bowls  are  all  in  order. 

If  it  is  a  male  guest, 

The  wife  may  not  be  seen, 

But,  near  the  reception  room 

Await  her  husband's  orders. 

If  tea  is  wanted. 

See  that  it  is  promptly  brought. 

If  the  guest  remains  to  eat  and  sleep. 

Wait  for  the  husband  to  come 

And  say  what  he  wishes  prepared ; 

Whether  to  kill  chickens  or  cook  vegetables, 

Or  only  offer  refreshments. 

Do  not  imitate  those  careless  women 

Who  do  not  look  after  the  reception  room ; 

Who  are  hurried  and  without  self-possession. 

And  therefore  do  nothing  properly. 

Such  are  very  angry 

When  the  husband  invites  a  guest  to  stay. 

They  bring  chop-sticks  but  no  spoons; 

Salt  but  no  pepper. 

Before  the  guest  has  eaten 

They  are  eating; 

They  whip  the  boys. 

And  scold  the  girls. 

And  all  is  confusion. 

Such  disgrace  their  husbands. 

And  mortify  the  guests. 

If  a  guest  arrives 

When  the  husband  is  absent. 

Send  a  small  child  to  inquire 

Whence  he  comes. 

If  he  looks  like  a  friend, 

Send  and  ask  his  name 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  II^ 

And  invite  him  to  enter, 

Then  with  hair  in  order  and  dress  neat, 

The  wife  may  enter  the  reception  room 

And  present  her  salutation. 

Then  let  the  tea  be  served, 

And  observe  all  politeness. 

After  he  has  taken  tea. 

She  should  inquire  his  business, 

And  if  he  is  a  very  near  friend  or  relation, 

She  may  invite  him  to  await  her  husband's  return. 

But  if  he  desires  to  go, 

She  may  accompany  him  only 

To  the  reception  room  entrance. 

I  exhort  all  women  to  follow  these  instructions. 

ON  THE  INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN. 

Girls  must  dwell  in  secluded  rooms; 

Seldom  permit  them  to  go  outside. 

When  they  are  called  they  must  come ; 

When  told  to  go,  let  them  obey. 

If  disobedient  in  the  least, 

Use  small  switches  and  punish  them. 


The  present  generation's  children 

Are  very  bad ; 

They  have  learned  nothing. 

Boys  know  not  how  to  read ; 

They  grow  up  following  their  own  wills. 

Drinking  wine  and  seeking  only  amusement, 

Living  idle  and  useless  lives, 

Singing  songs  and  dancing. 

Disregarding  their  family  duties. 


114  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

And  fearing  not  their  country's  laws. 

Girls  too  are  unwilling  to  learn; 

They  are  stubborn  and  talkative; 

They  know  little  of  woman's  duties. 

Thus  they  injure  themselves  and  their  superiors. 

When  grown  they  find  themselves  disgraced. 

Then  they  are  displeased  with  their  parents. 

And  think  not  to  blame  themselves; 

Their  evil  words  hurt  their  parents'  ears. 

Such  girls  are  worse  than  wild-cats ! 

Do  not  the  foregoing  quaint  precepts  written  over 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago  plainly  tell  us  that  human 
nature  never  changes;  that  proprieties  were  the  same 
then  as  now,  and  that  boys  and  girls  were  boys  and  girls 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  after  all,  human  nature 
in  the  East  is  human  nature  in  the  West. 

By  this  time  our  class  must  be  weary  with  supporting 
those  dumbbells.  So  we  will  say  good-by  to  our  patient, 
gentle  g^oup  of  Mongolian  lassies  and  take  "  rikishas  " 
five  or  six  miles  farther  out  and  southward  to  a  village 
called  Loong  Wah,  where  once  a  year,  during  what  is 
called  the  Peach-blossom  Festival,  the  native  inhabitants 
gather  in  great  numbers  to  celebrate  the  bloom  and 
promise  of  spring.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  features 
of  this  festival  celebration  is  the  number  of  beggars 
gathered  by  the  roadside  on  the  way  to  Loong  Wah. 
We  will  have  only  time  and  opportunity  to  look  at  one 
of  these  beggars ;  but  he  being  the  king  of  beggars,  we 
will  consider  him  a  fitting  representative  of  the  whole 
race. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  II5 

30.  ''King  of  the  Beggars"  the  Chief  of  a  Beggar 
Guild— Vain  of  His  J^xcessive  Raggedness, 
lioong  Wab. 

On  our  arrival  at  Loong  Wah,  near  the  pagoda 
of  the  same  name,  which  you  see  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  before  us,  this  "  Jolly  Old  Beggar " 
marched  directly  into  our  presence  with  greasy, 
but  by  no  means  a  starved-looking  face,  and  asked  for 
alms.  We  were  at  once  struck  by  his  extraordinary  man- 
ner as  well  as  by  his  extraordinary  appearance ;  the  first 
thing  unusual  in  his  manner  was  his  smiling  face  and 
his  cheerful  willingness  to  stand  before  the  camera.  This 
he  did  just  as  you  see  him,  and  before  receiving  alms. 
This  was  done,  too,  before  I  had  been  made  aware  that 
he  was  a  distinguished  man,  well  known  in  his  native 
village  and  in  the  country  round ;  he  is  a  royal  person- 
age, even  a  king  in  his  class,  and  undoubtedly  a  pos- 
sessor of  considerable  wealth.  But  surely  neither  his 
mien  nor  his  garb  betray  his  royalty;  so  I  must  explain 
it  to  you.  Begging  is  a  vocation  in  China,  and  beggary 
an  institution.  In  every  province  there  is  an  organized 
beggar's  society  or  guild,  in  some  provinces  several. 
These  guilds  have  presidents  and  sub-officials,  and  are 
in  all  respects  thoroughly  organized.  There  is  a  mem- 
bership fee  of  about  four  dollars,  and  all  members  swear 
to  abide  by  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  society.  The 
presidents,  or  "  Kings,"  as  they  are  generally  called,  are 
under  the  protection  of  a  magistrate.  The  power  of  the 
head  of  a  guild  is  considerable;  and  they  are  sometimes 


Il6  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

appointed  watchmen  over  certain  streets  because  their 
authority  is  greatly  respected  by  the  unscrupulous  ele- 
ment of  their  own  society.  When  a  member  dies  the 
guild  furnishes  a  two-dollar  coffin  for  decent  burial,  and 
other  members  are  required  to  attend  the  funeral;  they 
maintain  a  lodging-house  in  which  members  are  allowed 
to  sleep  at  the  rate  of  one  cash  (one-seventeenth  of  a 
cent)  a  night.  In  some  towns  the  rich  merchants  fur- 
nish a  dinner  twice  a  year  to  the  beggars  on  condition 
that  they  are  not  to  be  importuned  by  the  guild  for  alms 
at  other  times.  At  certain  times  in  the  year  all  beg- 
gars worship  at  the  graves  of  the  brotherhood.  Some 
of  these  guilds  follow  curious  occupations,  as  at  Foo 
Chow,  where  they  engage  in  rearing  snakes,  which  are 
sold  to  the  medical  fraternity,  who  boil  them  down  for 
medicinal  purposes.  All  beggars  are  not  members  of  a 
guild ;  many  are  too  poor  and  miserable  to  cope  with  the 
initiation  fees ;  such  beggars  you  saw  at  the  "  Dying- 
place  "  in  Canton.  The  many  expedients  to  which  beg- 
gars here  resort  to  elicit  sympathy  and  extort  alms  is  an 
ethnological  study.  Sometimes  they  have  been  known  to 
carry  a  most  unsightly  leper,  on  whom  the  progress  of 
his  incurable  disease  has  sloughed  oflf  ears  and  nose  and 
hands.  This  is  done  to  compel  the  inmates  of  homes 
to  bestow  alms  in  order  to  rid  themselves  of  a  loathsome 
nuisance.  Others  cut  themselves  with  razors  and  be- 
spatter themselves  with  blood,  taking  care  always  to  pre- 
sent the  most  bloody  appearance  with  the  least  cutting 
possible.    Another  method  is  to  stand  on  the  street  or 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  II7 

by  one's  home  and  beat  the  head  in  a  most  ferocious 
manner  with  a  stick.  The  beholder  is  expected  to  give 
a  few  cash  rather  than  witness  such  a  scene.  Others 
will  wallop  their  heads  against  the  house  or  any  con- 
venient wall  for  the  same  purpose.  Sometimes  they  will 
drop  on  the  doorstep  and  threaten  to  die  there  unless 
their  distress  is  relieved.  When  I  was  in  Canton  visiting 
a  great  temple,  a  miserable  wretch  who  had  been  await- 
ing my  exit  from  one  of  the  courts,  staggered  for  some 
time  and  then  fell  prostrate  on  the  flagstones,  to  all  ap- 
pearances suffering  great  agony  and  in  a  dying  condi- 
tion. My  guide  told  me  that  it  was  all  affected,  but  that 
I  might  better  leave  a  little  cash-balm  for  him,  as  we  were 
in  an  evil  crowd,  in  an  unsafe  quarter. 

An  expedient  tried  by  some  is  to  ignite  a  combustible 
substance  on  the  tops  of  their  heads,  when  they  howl  and 
writhe  with  pain  and  in  that  way  prey  upon  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  onlookers.  Still  another  device  which  may 
always  be  seen  in  beggar  thoroughfares,  is  to  sit  by  the 
wayside  and  dash  the  forehead  against  a  flat  stone  placed 
on  the  ground  before  them;  this  is  done  until  there  is 
an  abrasion  of  the  skin  and  the  blood  trickles  copiously 
down  the  face.  I  have  mentioned  some  of  the  mercenary 
self-tortures  inflicted  by  the  army  of  mendicants  met 
everywhere  in  China,  while  the  "  King  "  is  still  waiting 
for  his  tribute  money.  You  can  see  how  thickly  the  rags 
are  laid  on,  stratum  upon  stratum;  but  you  cannot  see 
how  dirty  they  are.  Clean  rags  would  not  be  in  good 
form.     Even  his  royal  scepter,  which  you  will  notice 


Il8  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

is  a  piece  of  bamboo,  is  decorated  with  emblems  of  pov- 
erty. Baths  and  ablutions  are  unknown  to  his  sovereign 
majesty,  and  an  enumeration  of  the  entomological  at- 
tendants of  this  royal  bundle  would  be  as  difficult  as  a 
census  of  the  empire.  I  had  the  opportunity  of  meeting 
this  "  King  of  the  Beggars  "  several  times,  but  after  I 
had  bestowed  a  moderate  fee  for  this  pose,  his  Highness 
did  not  deign  to  ask  a  second.  Now  let  us  "  Chin-chin  " 
(bye-bye)  court  fashion  and  return  to  Shanghai. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  II9 


SOO-CHOW 

Eighty  miles  northwest  of  Shanghai,  situated  on  the 
Grand  Canal,  is  a  city  famous  in  Chinese  history,  but  not 
so  well  known  to  the  outside  world.  It  was  founded 
500  B.C.  and  must  have  been  in  its  palmiest  days  a  veri- 
table Oriental  Venice,  being  still  as  of  old,  intersected 
by  waterways  in  every  direction.  I  refer  to  the  city  of 
Soo-chow  (see  map  of  Eastern  China),  to  which  the  pet 
name  "  Beautiful  Soo  "  has  been  given,  because  of  the 
many  attractive  features  it  possessed  during  its  earlier 
days.  The  world  is  indebted  to  the  scholarship  and  re- 
search of  the  Rev.  Hampden  C.  Du  Bose,  D.D.,  for 
much  information  about  this  historic  place.  Dr.  Du 
Bose  has  written  a  booklet  called  "  Beautiful  Soo,"  in 
which  he  gives  information  that  could  scarcely  be  found 
elsewhere.  He  says  the  Chinese  have  a  proverb  as  fol- 
lows: "  Heaven  is  above — below  is  Soo-chow  and  Hang- 
chow."  Hangchow  is  a  seaport  city  lying  about  ninety 
miles  south  of  Soo-chow. 

The  Grand  Canal  at  Soo-chow  is  connected  with  the 
Wusung  at  Shanghai  by  a  branch  canal,  following  the 
course  of  the  Soo-chow  creek.  This  waterway  is  well 
filled  with  all  sorts  of  small  craft  plying  between  the  two 
places,  including  steam-tugs  towing  native  cargo  and 


I20  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

passenger-boats.  The  passenger  accommodations  are 
exceedingly  primitive  in  the  low,  scow-like  boats.  One 
can  barely  stand  erect  in  the  shallow  hold  and  must  sup- 
ply himself  with  food  for  the  journey,  if  he  cannot  eat 
the  native  chow.  Provided  with  a  packet  of  luncheon 
and  a  shawl  and  blanket,  which  have  been  my  shelter 
and  my  only  companions  in  many  lands,  I  plunged  into 
an  abysmal  bunk  and  abode  therein  until  the  following 
day,  when  I  was  landed  outside  the  old  wall  in  a  Euro- 
pean concession,  which  has  been  granted  in  recent 
years. 

31.  A  Chain  Gang  in  China — In  the  Thoroughfare 
Wearing  "Canguea,"  which  Record  Their  Crime, 
Soo-chow. 

We  are  here  looking  northwest,  across  the  Grand 
Canal,  toward  the  southern  portion  of  the  city,  which 
is  entirely  within  the  wall.  These  prisoners  stand  upon 
a  broad,  well-paved,  modern  street  running  along  the 
canal  in  front  of  the  General  Concession.  There  are 
only  a  few  buildings  in  this  quarter;  the  police  head- 
quarters are  just  behind  us,  and  these  three  prisoners 
have  been  brought  out  before  us  that  we  may  better  see 
how  law-breakers  are  chained  and  cangued.  Do  not 
imagine  that  these  fellows  are  wearing  Elizabethan  frills. 
I  told  you  when  describing  the  caged  criminal  at  Shang- 
hai I  might  show  you  other  forms  of  punishment  later; 
this  is  another  form  of  torture.    It  consists  of  this  heavy 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  121 

frame  of  planks  about  three  feet  square,  closed  around 
the  neck  by  transverse  dowels  and  is  called  the  Cangue. 

It  projects  so  far  that  the  wearer  cannot  reach  his 
head  with  his  hands,  and  is  therefore  liable  to  die  from 
starvation  unless  he  have  friends  to  look  after  him.  The 
cangue  usually  weighs  about  thirty-three  pounds,  and 
when  it  is  borne  for  several  months  it  would  seem  to  be 
quite  insupportable  to  any  one  but  an  inhabitant  of  this 
land.  I  often  think  that  Chinamen  must  have  cold  blood 
or  a  very  crude  sensorium,  so  callous  they  seem  to  physi- 
cal pain. 

A  more  common  mode  of  punishment  than  either  the 
cage  or  the  cangue  is  the  bamboo,  which  is  used  for  all 
minor  offenses.  It  is  in  such  universal  use  that  for  pur- 
poses of  punishment,  its  weight  and  dimensions  are  fixed 
by  law,  which  authorizes  two  sizes ;  the  first  is  five  feet 
eight  inches  in  length,  two  and  three-quarter  inches  in 
width  and  two  inches  thick,  weighing  two  and  two-fifth 
pounds ;  the  second  size  is  the  same  in  length,  two  inches 
broad  and  one  and  one-fifth  inches  thick,  weighing  one 
and  five-sixth  pounds.  These  bamboos  are  applied  to 
the  back  of  the  culprit,  and  the  number  of  blows  is  ac- 
cording to  the  oflFense,  varying  from  ten  to  a  hundred, 
but  these  are  subject  to  remission  by  the  grace  of  the 
Emperor,  or  by  a  pecuniary  redemption.  The  first  of 
this  trio  of  cangued  prisoners  casts  a  contemptuous 
glance  at  us ;  the  second  is  humility  itself ;  the  third  be- 
trays a  hand-in-the-pocket  indifference  to  what  we  say 


122  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

or  think.  You  see  written  on  the  upper  side  of  each 
cangue,  in  Chinese  characters,  the  name  and  offense  of 
each  prisoner. 

Various  modes  of  torture  are  practiced  to  extort  evi- 
dence or  confession ;  but  certain  classes  are  exempt  from 
the  torture,  in  consideration  of  respect  due  to  their  stand- 
ing in  society. 

There  are  five  degrees  of  punishment: 

The  first  degree  is  a  moderate  infliction  with  the  small- 
er bamboo. 

The  second  degree  imposes  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
blows  of  the  bamboo. 

The  third  degree  is  that  of  temporary  banishment. 

The  fourth  degree  is  that  of  perpetual  banishment. 

The  fifth  and  ultimate  is  that  of  death  by  strangula- 
tion, as  with  the  cage  or  by  decollation. 

We  will  not  have  time  to  go  within  that  old  wall  which 
has  stood  there  for  two  thousand  years;  you  see  it  is 
after  the  fashion  of  every  Chinese  wall,  and  having  seen 
one  you  have  seen  all.  The  same  is  true  of  the  city  in- 
side, it  is  typically  Chinese,  with  a  population  of  over 
seven  hundred  thousand.  But  here  you  obtain  a  good 
view  of  China's  most  celebrated  artificial  waterway,  the 
Imperial  Canal,  which  extends  from  Hangchow  to  Pekin, 
a  distance  of  seven  hundred  miles.  Here  along  the  wall 
of  the  city,  where  traffic  is  heavy,  it  is  expanded  into  a 
sort  of  harbor.  In  its  long  stretches  through  the  coun- 
try it  is  often  very  narrow  and  shallow;  yet  it  has  long 
been  a  very  important  means  of  both  travel  and  trans- 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  1 23 

portation.    Authorities  estimate  that  ten  thousand  boats 
ply  on  this  waterway  and  its  branches. 

But  this  Imperial  Canal  is  not  only  important  as  a 
means  of  transit;  it  is  well  supplied  with  many  varieties 
of  excellent  fish,  fish  being  one  of  the  three  staples  of 
animal  food,  the  other  two  being  the  hog  and  the  duck. 
By  entering  a  boat  down  there  on  the  canal  and  swing- 
ing to  the  right  and  sailing  out  of  the  town  a  mile  or 
two  where  the  canal  is  still  wide,  I  may  show  you  one 
of  the  strangest  and  rarest  methods  of  capturing  fish 
you  have  ever  seen — a  method  much  cleverer  and  much 
more  successful  than  that  which  provoked  the  humorous 
sarcasm  that  "  an  angler  is  a  rod  with  a  fly  at  one  end 
and  a  fool  at  the  other  " — it  is  fishing  with  cormorants. 

3g.    Natives  Fishing   with  Trained  Cormorants  in  the 
Grand  Canal,  Soo-chow. 

Before  visiting  China  I  had  read  of  fishing  being  done 
in  that  far-away  land  by  means  of  trained  water  birds, 
but  it  seemed  almost  incredible.  When  I  was  in  Can- 
ton I  received  a  letter  from  the  house  of  Underwood  & 
Underwood  saying  that  if  it  were  possible  to  find  cormo- 
rant fishing  in  any  part  of  the  country  I  should  not  fail 
to  make  a  view  of  it.  I  was  told  in  Canton  that  such  a 
thing  could  only  be  seen  far  in  the  interior  and  had  al- 
most despaired  of  finding  any  opportunity  of  photo- 
graphing such  a  scene ;  but  while  being  rowed  along  this 
canal  one  day  I  suddenly  came  upon  these  two  boats 
covered   with  great,  unfamiliar  birds.     At  first   I   was 


124  CHINA   THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

quite  bewildered  by  the  strange  spectacle.  In  a  moment 
it  occurred  to  me  that  it  was  cormorant  fishing.  I  mo- 
tioned my  boatman  to  take  me  ashore  that  I  might  ob- 
tain the  proper  light  and  distance;  but  the  fishermen 
with  their  educated  birds  made  away  from  me  as  rapid- 
ly as  possible.  I  told  my  native  boy  to  offer  them  a 
dollar  to  stop;  they  rowed  faster  away.  I  told  him  to 
offer  them  a  dollar  and  a  half;  the  offer  only  served  to 
increase  their  speed;  they  were  thoroughly  frightened. 
I  was  a  foreigner  carrying  strange  and  suspicious  de- 
vices that  boded  evil,  as  they  thought.  A  Chinaman 
working  near  came  to  us  and  seeing  apparently  no  ill 
designs  in  my  movements,  and  being  told  I  would  give 
these  men  two  dollars  to  be  allowed  to  photograph  their 
birds  only,  he  started  in  pursuit  of  the  fishermen  along 
the  bank  of  the  canal.  He  finally  overtook  them,  ex- 
plained my  object  and  the  money  offer,  and  at  last,  after 
long  and  tedious  negotiations,  prevailed  upon  them  to 
return.  They  returned  and  received  their  fee,  and  I,  in 
exchange,  obtained  the  much-desired  view  of  fishing- 
cormorants.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  two  dollars 
meant  their  earnings  for  twenty  days,  which  would  be 
equivalent  to  giving  an  American  fisherman  thirty  dol- 
lars. 

These  birds  are  thoroughly  tamed  and  wonderfully 
trained;  they  sit  around  on  the  sides  of  the  boat  and 
sometimes  dive  off  after  fish  of  their  own  accord;  but 
are  more  frequently  urged  by  gentle  touches  with  those 
poles.    The  fish  are  not  usually  seen  from  their  perches 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  1 25 

on  the  boat,  the  water  being  often  turbid ;  but  they  dive 
several  feet  under  water  and  search  for  them.  Strings 
or  bands  are  put  around  their  necks  so  that  no  fish  large 
enough  for  cooking  purposes  can  be  swallowed.  Fish 
passing  through  this  gastronomic  handicap  the  birds, 
of  course,  devour;  those  too  large  are  brought  to  the 
surface,  where  the  fishermen  snatch  them  from  their 
beaks  and  deposit  them  in  the  specially  made  fish-basket. 
Sometimes  the  fisherman,  by  way  of  encouragement, 
gives  to  his  successful  bird  a  small  fish  in  exchange  for 
a  large  one.  Neck-bands  are  not  always  required ;  some 
birds  are  so  well  trained  that  they  will  deliver  their  prey 
without  having  any  check  put  upon  them.  When  sev- 
eral hundred  are  fishing  together,  the  scene  becomes  very 
lively;  but  there  is  no  confusion;  each  bird  knows  his 
own  master.  Sometimes  when  a  large  fish  is  taken  one 
bird  will  go  to  the  assistance  of  another,  and  the  two 
together  will  bring  the  capture  successfully  to  the  boat. 
When  not  in  service  they  are  fed  on  bean-curds.  They 
do  not  lay  eggs  until  three  years  of  age.  The  eggs  are 
often  hatched  under  hens,  and  the  chickens  are  fed  on 
eel's  blood  and  hash.  In  some  parts  of  the  country  cor- 
morants are  still  trained  in  great  numbers  and  are  worth 
from  five  to  eight  dollars  a  pair.  One  boatman  can 
oversee  from  twelve  to  fifteen  birds.  One  of  these  boats 
came  to  the  shore  for  me  so  I  could  make  a  close  inspec- 
tion of  these  intelligent  creatures.  They  were  very  gen- 
tle and  allowed  me  to  stroke  them  as  one  would  a  kit- 


126  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

ten.    They  had  a  rank,  fishy  odor,  however,  which  was 
quite  disagreeable. 

From  this  fishing-scene  we  will  follow  the  Imperial 
Canal  back  to  a  picturesque  bridge  near  the  south  wall 
of  the  city,  where  we  will  step  ashore  for  a  better  view 
and  where  we  can  see  the  kinds  of  boats  that  ply  along 
this  great  waterway. 

33.    The   Picturesqne   l,and    of  Confucius — Woo    Men 
Bridge  and  Grand  Imperial  Canal,  Soo-cbow. 

No  one  could  feel  that  he  had  seen  China  unless  he  had 
seen  one  of  these  characteristic  bridges  or  a  pagoda. 
Sometimes  the  former  have  been  called  camel's-back 
bridges,  because  of  the  sharp  pitch  of  the  approaches 
over  the  arch.  The  Chinese  seem  never  to  have  taken  to 
the  swing-bridge  to  allow  the  passage  of  boats ;  and 
wheeled  vehicles  are  so  seldom  used  that  they  are  not 
considered  in  bridge-building.  This  is  a  beautiful  arch 
and  built  according  to  sound  principles  of  architecture, 
but  where  did  the  Chinese  get  their  knowledge  of  the 
arch  ?  It  is  said  that  the  arch  originated  with  the  Greeks 
and  was  developed  by  the  Romans.  Yet,  in  every  part 
of  China  these  perfectly  arched  bridges  are  found  which, 
to  all  appearances,  ante-date  both  the  Roman  and  the 
Greek  periods.  This  bridge  has  been  erected  since  the 
Taiping  Rebellion.  The  former  structure  was  destroyed 
at  that  time,  and  the  place  we  occupy  was  the  scene  of 
a  bloody  conflict ;  the  forces  under  Gordon  being  on  the 
farther  side  of  the  canal,  and  the  rebels  on  this  side 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  1 27 

under  Burgovine  with  sixty  foreigners  and  an  army  two 
hundred  thousand  strong.  The  center  of  this  simple, 
graceful  arch  is  over  fifty  feet  above  the  water,  and  the 
quality  of  the  masonry  shows  for  itself.  People  are  pass- 
ing to  and  fro  while  some  are  seated  on  the  side  wall, 
showing  that  it  is  probably  a  rendezvous  for  loafers. 

Near  us,  at  the  edge  of  the  canal,  we  see  women  en- 
gaged, some  in  washing  clothes,  others  in  washing  rice; 
all  at  the  same  place  and  in  the  same  water.  It  is  no  un- 
common thing  to  see  water  for  cooking  and  drinking 
taken  from  sources  impregnated  with  every  form  of  pollu- 
tion. Now  that  I  have  mentioned  a  point  against  the 
cleanliness  of  these  women,  let  me  call  your  attention  to 
another  matter  in  which  they  are  more  particular  than 
other  women  of  the  same  class.  These  are  women  of  the 
lower  class,  poor,  and  engaged  in  manual  drudgery,  yet 
you  will  see  their  hair  is  carefully  and  neatly  arranged. 
Chinese  women  are  as  careful  to  possess  a  tidy  coiffure  as 
the  men  are  to  maintain  the  integrity  of  their  queues. 
Here  again  we  see  family  boats,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
there  is  a  floating  population  in  and  around  Soo-chow  of 
thirty  thousand.  It  is  an  important  center  for  silk  manu- 
factures, and  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  thousand  women 
are  engaged  in  making  embroidery.  Many  valuable  car- 
goes of  silk  are  carried  in  the  small  boats  such  as  you  see ; 
notice  the  one  before  us,  near  the  bridge  at  the  right  with 
a  cannon  mounted  on  the  bow.  This  is  a  protection 
against  pirates  and  other  robbers,  especially  when  carry- 
ing valuable  cargoes  of  silk. 


128  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

You,  of  course,  know  that  piracy  was  very  common  in 
many  parts  of  the  world  in  the  earlier  centuries,  but  that 
in  modem  times  that  form  of  robbery  has  ceased  to  exist 
in  most  countries  except  China,  when  primitive  modes  of 
water  transportation,  and,  indeed,  primitive  conditions  in 
all  respects  affords  opportunity  for  the  pirate  to  ply  his 
nefarious  occupation;  so  that  on  all  the  great  rivers  and 
canals  where  valuable  cargoes  pass  to  and  fro  a  very  poor 
and  inefficient  gun-boat  service  is  maintained  by  the 
government,  and  besides  this,  as  I  have  already  shown 
you,  cargo-boats  have  antiquated  cannon  mounted  on 
them  for  defense  as  you  see  the  one  before  us.  The  death 
penalty  by  beheading  is  inflicted  on  all  pirates  captured, 
and  notwithstanding  this  extreme  deterrent,  the  inland 
water-ways  are  still  infested  with  these  reckless  robbers. 
The  Execution  Ground  at  Canton  is  one  of  the  places 
visited  by  most  travellers.  Every  few  weeks  executions 
by  beheading  occur  at  that  place,  and  the  victims  are  in 
most  cases  pirates.  I  witnessed  and  made  views  of  the 
beheading  of  a  pirate  at  Canton;  as  the  scene  is  too  re- 
volting for  general  use  it  is  not  included  in  this  series, 
but  may  be  obtained  from  the  publishers. 

I  have  said  that  in  nearly  every  representation  of  a 
Chinese  landscape  one  finds  either  a  camel-back  bridge  or 
a  pagoda ;  here  we  have  seen  the  former ;  now,  in  order 
to  see  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  latter,  we  will 
travel  by  boat  for  several  miles,  along  winding,  dark  and 
narrow  canals,  through  the  city  and  beyond,  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  ground  called  Tiger  Hill.     On  this  hill  is  located 


China  through  the  stereoscope.  h^ 

one  of  the  oldest  and  most  famous  pagodas  of  Soo-chow, 
called  T.iger  Hill  Pagoda. 

34.    Tiger  Hill  Pagoda,  the  "leaning  Tower"  of  Soo- 
chow  (1300  Years  Old). 

There  are  seven  pagodas  in  and  around  this  ancient 
literary  and  commercial  center.  They  are  all  old  by  West- 
em  chronology,  all  patriarchal,  but  the  senior  member  of 
the  group,  the  Methuselah,  as  Du  Bose  calls  it,  is  said  to 
be  1,650  years  old;  and  the  authority  for  this  antiquity  is 
Fan  Fen  Chen  Kung,  a  historian  who  lived  nine  hundred 
years  ago,  who  probably  had  reliable  documents  for  his 
statements.  The  one  before  us  is  no  youth,  having  been 
erected  thirteen  hundred  years  ago.  You  cannot  wonder 
it  is  somewhat  stooped,  and  you  see  why  it  is  called  the 
"  Leaning  Tower  of  Soo-chow."  If  the  record  of  its  an- 
tiquity be  correct,  and  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  it,  it 
stood  here  when  Mahomet  was  writing  the  Koran.  It  is 
called  Tiger  Hill  Pagoda,  from  a  tradition  that  after  the 
death  of  Hoh  Lii,  the  first  King  of  Soo-chow,  a  white 
tiger  was  seen  crouching  near  his  grave.  This  pagoda 
has  been  out  of  the  perpendicular  from  time  immemorial. 

The  pagoda  is  a  monument  peculiar  to  China.  Every 
race  seems  to  possess  the  monument-building  instinct;  a 
prehistoric  race  in  America  built  mounds ;  the  Druids  had 
their  temples;  we  find  the  mysterious  round-tower  in 
Ireland;  Egypt  has  pyramids  and  obelisks.  India,  Cey- 
lon and  Burmah  are  covered  with  towers  and  dagobas, 
and  China  is  said  to  have  two  thousand  pagodas.     No 


130  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

town  in  China  is  considered  complete  without  a  pagoda. 
Some  people  think  the  native  faith  in  the  pagoda  is  dimin- 
ishing, as  a  new  one  is  rarely  seen ;  this  might  be  said  of 
bridges,  temples  and  nearly  ever>i;hing  in  China,  because 
everything  appears  old ;  disrepair  and  dilapidation  are  not 
necessarily  evidences  of  a  waning  faith  in  their  national 
institutions. 

The  purpose  of  the  pagoda  is  often  not  well  understood 
by  foreigners ;  it  is  generally  supposed  to  be  altogether  a 
religious  monument.  It  seems  to  have  had  its  origin  in 
India,  where  it  was  wholly  a  religious  temple  dedicated  to 
the  worship  of  idols  which  were  called  pagods,  hence  the 
name,  pagoda.  In  China  the  form  of  the  structure  gradu- 
ally changed  from  that  of  a  temple  to  the  tall,  many- 
storied  tower,  like  the  one  before  us.  The  purpose  of  the 
pagoda  in  China  has  been  changed  from  that  of  a  place 
set  apart  wholly  for  the  worship  of  idols  to  that  of  a  mixed 
order — that  of  a  religious  shrine,  and  also  at  the  same 
time  a  temple  of  geomancy,  if  I  may  express  it  in  that 
way.  It  is  supposed  to  bring  peace  and  the  protection  of 
Heaven,  and  to  repress  all  evil  influences  that  may  be  pe- 
culiar to  the  locality  in  which  it  is  situated.  Geomancy 
prevails  everywhere  in  China,  and  geomancers  are  about 
as  numerous  as  beggars  and  much  more  respected.  I  have 
been  in  quite  a  number  of  pagodas,  in  diflferent  parts  of 
the  country,  and  I  do  not  remember  that  I  have  seen  one 
containing  idols  or  occupied  by  priests ;  but  all  apparently 
vacant  and  left  to  exert  their  influence  on  the  surround- 
ing country ;   this  is  why  I  prefer  to  call  them  temples  of 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  I3I 

geomancy.  A  simple  and  more  intelligible  name  would 
be  "  good-luck  towers."  Do  not  laugh  at  their  credulity 
and  simple  faith  in  geomancy;  there  is  not  much  differ- 
ence after  all ;  they  erect  a  pagoda  and  we  nail  up  a  horse- 
shoe. 

This  "  Leaning  Tower  "  is  an  unusually  large  pagoda ; 
it  consists  of  two  walls  or  a  pagoda  within  a  pagoda,  each 
wall  being  six  or  seven  feet  in  thickness.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear so  large  because  our  position  is  several  hundred 
yards  away  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  which  has  an  elevation 
of  some  fifty  feet,  the  pagoda  being  nearly  two  hundred 
feet  in  height.  I  was  obliged  to  retire  to  this  distance  to 
obtain  a  view  of  the  entire  structure,  and  even  now  the 
first  story  is  not  visible.  This  venerable  old  pile  suffered 
more  from  the  Taipings  than  from  thirteen  centuries  of 
time.  Formerly  the  hill  was  covered  with  fine  temples 
and  palaces  before  that  rebellion,  but  since  then  the  once 
magnificent  center  of  "  Beautiful  Soo  "  has  been  a  wilder- 
ness of  ruins. 

We  will  now  return  for  a  second  time  to  Shanghai  by 
the  same  kind  of  native  canal-boat  in  which  we  came  to 
Soo-chow.  We  cannot  afford  to  remain  long  in  one 
place;  the  Chinese  Empire  is  a  little  world  in  itself,  and 
much  remains  for  us  yet  to  explore. 


132  CHINA  tHROTJGH  THE  STEftEOSCOt>E. 


JOURNEY  UP  THE  YANG-TSE-KIANG. 

People  who  visit  China  should  not  confine  their  field  of 
observation  to  seaport  towns,  as  is  so  frequently  done  by 
globe-trotters.  It  is  desirable  to  reach  the  interior  at 
some  point.  When  I  returned  to  Shanghai,  from  Soo- 
chow,  I  received  a  cablegram  to  proceed  up  the  great 
Yang-tse-Kiang  River  to  Hankow,  a  distance  of  six  hun- 
dred miles  (see  map  of  eastern  China),  It  proved  a 
lucky  cablegram  for  me ;  only  for  its  receipt  at  that  time 
I  would  have  been  hemmed  in  with  the  legations  at 
Pekin.  In  that  way  my  trip  up  the  great  river  was  for- 
tunate as  well  as  interesting.  Hoping  now  that  our  mu- 
tual trip  to  the  interior  may  be  equally  interesting,  we  will 
embark  on  one  of  those  large  side-wheel  steamboats,  such 
as  that  on  which  we  made  our  trip  to  Ningpo.  The  fare 
is  $32.50  for  a  return  ticket.  The  accommodations  are 
as  comfortable  as  on  a  Hudson  River  steamer,  and  we 
shall  reach  Hankow  in  three  days.  The  scenery  en  route 
is  interesting,  but  somewhat  monotonous ;  the  valley  of  the 
Yang-tse-Kiang  is  a  level  plain  with  no  great  diversity  in 
its  appearance,  and  all  Chinese  towns  are  alike.  One  can 
see  the  hill  region  in  many  places,  but  it  is  far  distant. 
The  vast  expanse  of  yellow  water  dotted  with  character- 
istic junks  moves  sullenly  along  at  the  rate  of  two  and 
one-half  miles  an  hour.     Our  fellow  passengers  are  a  few 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 33 

missionaries  with  their  families  who  are  on  their  way  to 
the  hill  region  to  pass  the  hot  summer  months.  Six  or 
eight  stops  are  made  between  Shanghai  and  Hankow,  and 
then,  at  the  end  of  three  days,  our  boat  makes  fast  to  the 
hull  of  an  old  ship.  Hulls  of  ships  are  used  for  docks 
and  landing  stages  everywhere  on  the  Yang-tse.  We 
have  arrived,  and  as  we  come  on  deck  this  is  the  scene  that 
meets  our  eyes. 

35.    Coolies  Unloading  Tea  at  Hankow,  the  Great  Tea 
Market  of  Interior  China. 

TJiis  is  Hankow,  six  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  and 
undoubtedly  the  greatest  tea  market  in  the  world.  But  it 
is  European  Hankow,  and  you  have  already  learned  that 
Europeanized  cities  in  China  and  native  cities  are  very  dis- 
similar. There  are  three  native  cities  here,  all  within 
sight  one  of  another  and  also  lying  adjacent  to  the  foreign 
settlement  before  us;  they  are  Wuchang,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  and  Hanyang  and  Hankow,  lying  near 
together  on  this  side.  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  three 
cities  embrace  a  population  of  several  millions.  Hankow 
signifies,  in  Chinese,  the  mouth  of  commerce.  It  is,  in- 
deed, a  great  commercial  center.  The  river  is  navigable 
for  men-of-war  and  the  largest  ocean  steamers  up  to  this 
point.  When  I  stood  here  a  huge  three-funnel  merchant 
steamer  from  Odessa,  Russia's  great  port  on  the  Black 
Sea,  lay  at  anchor  in  midstream.  Russians  are  the  great- 
est tea-drinkers  in  Europe,  and  they  drink  Chinese  teas 
almost  exclusively.     Ships  from  all  parts  of  the  world 


134  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

come  here  for  tea;  so,  I  think,  for  gigantic  tea-parties 
Hankow  holds  the  record.  Do  you  see  the  tea  being  dis- 
charged from  the  ship  on  which  we  stand?  Our  steamer 
brought  a  cargo  from  a  point  down  the  river  to  this  place 
for  transshipment,  or  possibly  to  be  first  transformed  or 
pressed  into  what  is  called  brick-tea.  Should  we  go 
ashore  a  little  distance  from  this  shipping  front,  we  would 
see  many  places  where  tea  is  pressed  into  hard  bricks, 
chiefly  for  shipment  to  Russia,  although  the  best  grades  of 
tea  are  not  put  up  in  this  manner.  Though  this  is  the 
most  important  tea  center  in  the  world,  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  the  nearest  point  where  tea  is  grown  is  one  hundred 
miles  from  Hankow.  This  is  merely  a  great  shipping 
entrepot.  Tea  is  brought  here  from  the  hill  and  moun- 
tain districts,  where  it  is  grown;  it  is  brought  from 
smaller  ports  up  and  down  the  river  to  Hankow,  where  it 
is  sometimes  repacked  and  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 
There  are  many  docks  such  as  this  where  lines  of  bare- 
footed, bareheaded,  and  sometimes  barebacked  coolies 
form  a  ceaseless  line  between  the  ships  and  the  "  go- 
downs,"  carrying  chests  of  tea  and  uttering  their  weird, 
dolorous  cry,  which  they  think  distracts  the  mind  from  the 
burden.  You  cannot  see  an  European  among  all  those 
natives.  The  tea  is  now  altogether  in  the  hands  of  China- 
men ;  from  these  landing  "  go-downs  "  it  will  be  carried 
to  the  hongs,  as  business  places  are  called  in  the  East. 
These  chests  of  tea  do  not  look  exactly  familiar ;  they  are 
differently  marked  from  those  we  are  accustomed  to  see  in 
our  markets.     Much  of  the  tea  used  in  America  is  from 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 35 

Japan,  and  besides,  teas  from  different  parts  of  China  are 
marked  differently.  Have  you  noticed  how  high  that 
bank  of  the  river  is?  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  learn 
that  at  this  place  the  difference  between  high  and  low 
water  is  often  forty  feet  and  over,  sometimes  reaching  and 
flooding  the  streets  above.  It  has  an  annual  overflow 
resembling  that  of  the  Nile.  I  think  you  have  not  dis- 
covered that  each  coolie  carries  a  small  stick  in  his  hand ; 
they  have  a  simple  but  a  very  infallible  way  of  checking 
off  the  number  of  packages  discharged ;  after  the  ancient 
fashion,  each  coolie  delivers  with  each  package  a  tally- 
stick  to  a  tally-man  on  shore.  The  coolies  generally  have 
neither  honesty  nor  arithmetic ;  but  they  can  carry  a  tally- 
stick,  which  is  a  substitute  for  both.  Not  many  in  the 
West  would  like  to  carry  these  chests  of  tea  ten  hours  a 
day  in  the  hot  sun  at  ten  cents  a  day !  Yet  this  is  "  how 
the  other  half  lives." 

Let  us  go  ashore,  ascend  those  forty  steps,  turn  to  the 
right  a  hundred  yards,  and  we  will  face  a  pretty  plaza, 
which,  overlooking  the  river,  is  called  the  Bund. 

36.    View  Along  the   Bnnd  from   Mnnicipal   Council 
Building,  Hankow. 

This  scene  is  not  only  full  of  beauty;  it  is  full  of  life 
and  instruction.  The  beauty  of  those  buildings  and  rows 
of  trees  with  well-kept  lawns  and  walks  and  well-paved 
streets  is  enhanced  by  the  recollection  that  it  is  in  the  heart 
of  China,  six  hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  I  expected  to 
find  a  few  Europeans  here,  but  not  this  charming  vista  of 


136  CHINA   THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

modem  buildings  and  beautified  grounds.  I  expected 
Western  conditions  at  Shanghai,  but  not  at  Hankow.  We 
are  looking  eastward  and  down  the  river ;  behind  this  line 
of  trees,  on  our  right,  is  another  promenade,  overlooking 
the  broad  river  and  some  fifty  feet  above  it,  flanked  by  a 
protecting  wall.  Long  flights  of  stone  steps  lead  down  to 
steamboat  landings  at  different  places.  T,he  great  river  is 
here  nearly  a  mile  in  width,  full  of  life  and  activity.  It  is 
instructive  to  know  that  this  state  of  affairs  has  been  es- 
tablished here  since  1858,  when,  by  the  treaty  of  Nankin, 
Hankow  became  an  open  port.  The  native  quarter  is 
very  unlike  this ;  it  is,  as  I  have  remarked  of  other  native 
cities,  redolent  of  every  known  and  unknown  odor  and 
teeming  with  filthy  myriads  of  human  life.  I  was  told 
that  several  Chinese  gentlemen  of  Hankow  made  an  effort 
to  persuade  their  fellow  townsmen  to  attempt  to  model  the 
native  city  in  some  measure  after  the  European  Settle- 
ment, but  the  proposition  met  with  so  little  favor  that  it 
was  given  up.  To  change  the  ways  of  the  masses  of  the 
Chinese  people  promises  to  be  a  "  steady  job."  Here 
again,  we  see  few,  if  any,  Europeans;  this  will  be  par- 
tially explained  if  you  notice  the  shortness  of  the  shadows 
cast  by  those  figures  in  the  foreground ;  I  mean  that  you 
may  see  it  is  near  midday,  when  Europeans,  in  hot 
weather,  are  seldom  on  the  streets ;  but  the  whole  place  is 
animated  with  coolies,  many  of  them  pole-coolies,  as  they, 
are  called,  because  nearly  all  transportation  is  done  by 
them  by  means  of  these  poles.  One  coolie  will  carry  a 
hundred-weight  on  each  end  of  one  of  these  poles.     A 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 37 

coolie  holds  his  carry-pole  in  great  esteem,  for  it  is  his 
means  of  livelihood.  We  are  here  standing  on  the  bal- 
cony of  the  Town  Hall,  and  when  I  attempted  to  make  this 
view  the  people  near  at  hand  fled  as  though  Mara  (Chi- 
nese Pluto)  had  suddenly  arisen  in  their  midst;  a  "  Fang- 
qwei  "  with  a  camera  is  scarcely  less  dreaded.  This  street 
immediately  below  us  was  entirely  vacated.  The  idea  oc- 
curred to  me  that  if  I  should  cast  a  handful  of  cash  down 
into  the  street,  cupidity  might  overcome  superstition  and 
bring  the  coolies  close  again.  I  have  previously  explained 
to  you  that  seventeen  cash  are  equal  to  one  cent  and  make 
a  good  handful.  I  gave  to  my  native  porter  a  handful  of 
cash  and  explained  to  him  how,  at  a  given  time,  he  must 
throw  the  cash  to  the  coolies  below.  I  returned  to  an  inner 
room  to  prepare  my  apparatus,  and  when  I  returned  and 
asked  my  porter  where  the  cash  was  he  replied :  "  Coolie 
have  got."  The  stupid  fellow,  not  understanding  my  di- 
rections, had  thrown  them  to  the  street  in  my  absence; 
but  they  had  served  a  good  purpose,  for,  by  this  time,  the 
street  was  full  as  you  see  it  now,  all  eager  and  expectant. 
I  threw  another  handful,  which  was  instantly  followed  by 
a  chaos  of  heads,  heels,  poles,  prostrations,  "  flip-flips  " 
and  somersaults.  When  there  was  a  partial  restoration 
to  mental  and  physical  equipoise,  and  when  they  had  be- 
come engaged,  seemingly,  in  conference  as  to  whether  an- 
other shower  of  hard  cash  was  to  be  expected  and  whether 
a  madman  or  a  veritable  Carnegie  had  arrived  in  the  for- 
eign settlement,  I  manipulated  my  camera. 

When  I  first  reached  Hankow  I  supposed  I  was  in  the 


138  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

heart  of  the  tea-growing  region;  but  I  soon  learned  I 
could  not  reach  the  nearest  plantation  without  a  tedious 
journey  of  a  hundred  miles ;  and  that  this  journey  must 
be  made  in  a  house-boat,  through  canals  and  inland 
lakes  and  rivers  for  eighty  miles,  and  then,  when  I 
reached  the  mountains,  the  last  part  of  the  trip,  some 
twenty  miles,  would  have  to  be  made  in  a  sedan  chair 
carried  by  coolies.  The  worst  feature  of  the  adventure 
was  the  hostility  of  the  people  in  the  province  through 
which  the  journey  lay,  for  at  this  time  the  Boxer  up- 
rising was  agitating  the  usual  bitterness  toward  foreign- 
ers into  frenzied  aggressiveness.  But  I  decided  to  make 
the  attempt,  and  a  companion  was  deemed  indispensable. 
The  American  Vice-Consul  found  a  fearless  and  adven- 
turous young  man,  son  of  ex-Consul  Childs,  who  was 
quite  willing  to  accompany  me  for  the  sport  of  hunting 
on  the  way.  This  young  fellow  was  powerful  and  brave 
almost  to  recklessness,  and,  as  he  said,  any  half-dozen 
Boxers  would  only  be  "  Child's  "  play  for  him.  We  .it 
once  set  to  work  to  prepare  for  the  trip ;  he  furnished  one 
double-barreled  breech-loading  shot-gun  and  a  Martini- 
Henri  rifle,  with  an  abundance  of  ammunition;  he  also 
engaged  from  a  friend  of  his,  a  Russian  merchant,  a 
suitable  house-boat  with  sleeping  accommodations ;  later 
I  will  show  you  the  boat.  Next,  we  engaged  a  crew, 
consisting  of  a  captain,  four  coolies,  a  cook  and  an  in- 
terpreter. We  went  to  a  native  grocery  and  laid  in  a 
supply  of  provisions,  such  as  we  could  get — chiefly 
canned  goods  and  several  dozen  bottles  of  soda-water — 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  1 39 

we  knew  drinking-water  would  be  difficult  to  find.  Mr. 
Childs  said  we  must  take  a  couple  of  bottles  of  whisky, 
because  he  was  acquainted  with  a  mandarin  up  the  river 
who  was  fond  of  it,  and  that  his  favor  was  worth  two 
bottles ;  I  remonstrated  that  one  bottle  was  enough  for 
one  mandarin.  "  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  but  we  may  find 
another  mandarin  " ;  and  so  we  did.  Our  grocery  supply 
cost  fifteen  dollars ;  it  included  several  loaves  of  settlement 
bread.  Only  "  cash  "  is  known  in  the  rural  districts ; 
silver  is  worthless.  I  gave  our  cook  five  Mexican  dol- 
lars to  be  exchanged  for  "  cash."  He  returned  with  a 
back-load  all  strung  on  strings,  about  one  dollar's  worth 
on  each,  the  five  straps  weighing  thirty  pounds;  this  is 
no  exaggeration ;  because  the  spectacle  of  our  cook  re- 
turning with  thirty  pounds  of  coin  hung  over  his  shoul- 
ders and  around  his  neck  was  so  ludicrous  that  I  weighed 
a  one  dollar  strap,  which  was  just  six  pounds.  A  very 
brief  and  limited  shopping  expedition  in  a  native  town 
necessitates  a  coolie  with  a  wheelbarrow  to  carry  the 
change.  After  much  preparatory  running  back  and 
forth,  we  sailed  near  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  Our  house- 
boat was  fitted  with  sail,  but,  in  the  absence  of  wind, 
it  must  be  towed  by  hand  by  means  of  long  lines  from 
the  shore.  A  light  night  breeze  carried  us  across  the 
river,  where  the  coolies  went  ashore  with  the  tow-line 
and  towed  through  the  night  while  we  essayed  to  sleep 
in  our  new  and  confined  quarters.  When  we  arose  in 
the  morning  we  found  we  had  made  little  progress  up 
the  great  river,  Hankow  being  still  plainly  in  sight; 


I40  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

some  time  before  noon  we  reached  Kinkow,  an  important 
town  on  the  Yang-tse  only  about  twenty  miles  from  our 
starting-place;  here  we  entered  a  canal  or  creek  which 
connects  the  Yang-tse  with  a  small  lake  some  twenty 
miles  inland.  Now  let  us  go  ashore  just  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  look  at  our  house-boat. 

37.     Travelling  in  Interior  China — Onr  Hoase-boat  on 
a  Canal  near  Kinkow  (600  Miles  Inland). 

Here  is  the  house-boat  with  my  companions  and  crew, 
all  on  deck.  I  need  not  designate  my  companion;  his 
neglige  betrays  him.  My  captain  stands  at  his  right, 
his  high  rank  and  authority  indicated  by  what  appears 
to  be,  according  to  rustic  parlance,  a  "  boiled  shirt." 
Our  cook  left  us  at  this  place,  becoming  suspicious  we 
might  never  return,  and  our  interpreter,  who  is  clad 
in  black,  assumed  the  duties  of  the  runaway  cook.  The 
coolies  skulk  behind  and  turn  away  their  faces,  fearing 
the  camera.  You  see  the  door  leading  into  our  little 
cabin,  which  had  a  table  in  the  center  and  a  seat  on  either 
side  used  for  a  bed  at  night.  The  cook's  quarters  are 
behind  the  cabin.  Our  evening  retreat,  when  the  mos- 
quitoes would  permit,  was  on  that  spacious  forecastle 
where  the  crew  are  now  assembled.  I  fear  there  are 
many  archaic  devices  about  this  boat  which  you  will  fail 
to  notice.  Have  you  observed  the  wrought-iron,  hand- 
made anchor  projecting  over  the  bow,  consisting  of  four 
radiating  hooks?  Have  you  observed  the  detached  rud- 
der suspended  at  one  side  and  beyond  it  a  cross-bar  pro- 


China  through  the  stereoscope.  141 

jecting  a  little  over  the  free-board  ?  On  the  end  of  this 
a  large  sculling  oar  is  placed  to  propel  the  boat  when 
away  from  the  shore  or  when  becalmed  in  deep  water, 
where  poles  cannot  be  used.  Have  you  observed  the 
pike-poles  and  the  gang-plank?  I  am  sure  that  within 
the  cabin  and  in  the  cooking  department  are  curious 
things  you  cannot  see.  There  is  a  pantry  and  a  store- 
room all  in  that  small  place.  It  is  not  an  Atlantic  liner ; 
but  withal,  it  left  with  me  memories  more  interesting 
than  those  obtained  from  the  floating  palaces  of  the  sea. 
An  itinerant  barber  has  come  out  from  Kinkow,  not  far 
away,  to  prospect  our  ship.  Do  not  imagine  the  barber 
and  his  client  are  the  only  spectators.  A  vast  crowd 
has  been  purposely  held  back  from  our  boat. 

You  may  get  some  idea  of  the  character  of  the  soil  and 
the  appearance  of  the  country  near  the  river.  The  whole 
valley  is  alluvial,  and  in  its  fertility  and  freedom  from 
stones  reminds  me  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  You  can 
see  the  height  of  the  banks,  showing  the  depth  of  the 
soil,  and  the  canal,  which  was  originally  a  creek  or  river, 
is  here  quite  deep,  and  this  continues  until  we  reach  the 
high  lands.  A  typical  craft  from  the  interior,  propelled 
by  a  large  sculling  oar  on  one  side  of  the  boat,  is  pass- 
ing down  on  the  other  side ;  it  is  probably  on  its  way 
down  to  Hangkow  or  other  of  the  great  near-by  cities, 
with  farm  produce.  There  is  a  house  on  the  other  side, 
but  it  is  hidden  by  trees,  so  that  we  can  see  little  of  it. 

But  we  must  go  aboard  our  house-boat  and  order 
our  captain  to  start.     You  may  know  by  the  glossy  sur- 


142  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

face  of  the  water  that  there  is  no  breeze  for  our  sails; 
therefore,  the  tow-Hne  is  thrown  out,  the  gang-plank  is 
hauled  in  and  we  move  slowly  on  our  way.  Our  meek 
little  cook  had  prepared  for  us  a  breakfast  that  would 
satisfy  anyone  but  a  man  who  has  no  business  to  travel ; 
and  now  he  was  busy  in  the  galley,  which  was,  indeed, 
more  a  hole  than  a  galley,  preparing  our  second  meal. 
When  it  was  on  the  table  it  quite  astonished  us,  and 
while  we  ate  we  eulogized  the  cook  and  made,  I  fear, 
some  unflattering  remarks  about  French  chefs.  In  the 
afternoon  we  reached  a  beautiful  lake  some  twenty  miles 
across.  A  light  breeze,  at  times,  enabled  us  to  use  our 
sail,  and  when  the  wind  failed  the  coolies  resorted  to 
the  cumbersome  sculling  oars.  We  made  the  farther 
side  of  the  lake  a  little  after  nightfall,  where  we  entered  a 
second  canal,  in  which  we  tied  up,  our  crew  not  being 
able  to  work  continuously  day  and  night.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  after  we  had  been  several  hours  in  this  canal, 
we  entered  a  small  fishing  village  where  the  banks  of 
the  canal  were  lined  with  villagers  of  both  sexes  in 
charge  of  "  lift-nets."  This  lift-net  may  be  seen  in  every 
port  of  China ;  it  consists  of  a  horizontal  net  about  twen- 
ty feet  square,  attached  to  a  bamboo  frame-work  pro- 
jecting over  the  water  from  the  shore;  it  is  lowered  and 
raised  from  the  shore,  and  each  net  requires  one  at- 
tendant ;  it  is  lowered  until  it  sinks  to  the  bottom,  where 
it  remains  for  a  time,  or  until  fish  have  assembled  over 
it,  when  it  is  raised  for  a  draught  of  them.  This  was  a 
novel  and  interesting  scene  and  we  ran  our  house-boat 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  143 

ashore,  thinking  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  villagers  in  their 
droll  piscatory  vocation.  We  landed  and  returned  along 
the  bank  near  the  line  of  nets.  I  planted  my  camera  in  a 
suitable  position,  when,  instantly,  along  the  whole  line, 
they  left  their  nets  and  came  pell-mell  toward  us  and 
around  us.  Our  attempt  was,  of  course,  obstructed. 
We  called  our  "  boy  "  (every  servant  is  called  a  "  boy  " 
in  the  East)  to  persuade  them  to  stand  away  from  the 
camera;  his  appeal  had  no  effect;  their  curiosity  in- 
creased and  the  crowd  increased;  they  at  once  showed 
an  unfriendly  manner;  one  fellow  landed  from  a  boat 
and  came  strutting  forward  with  an  air  of  importance 
and  authority  and  lifted  the  cloth  of  the  camera  to  see 
what  was  under  it.  I  took  it  out  of  his  hands  and  mo- 
tioned him  back;  he  straightened  up,  swelled  his  chest, 
compressed  his  lips  and  dove  his  head  under  the  cloth; 
no  self-respecting  photographer  can  brook  any  liberties 
with  his  apparatus.  I  squelched  his  officious  and  imperti- 
nent meddlesomeness  with  more  vigor  than  politeness. 
He  swelled  up  in  importance  again,  but  kept  two  yards 
off ;  his  dignity  was  damaged ;  he  looked  vengeance  and 
sneeringly  cried  out,  "  Fanqwei !  fanqwei !  "  There  was 
no  possibility  of  getting  a  picture,  the  crowd  was  rapidly 
increasing,  and  the  half-mile  line  of  nets  was  deserted. 
Our  boy  said,  "  Very  bad  people  here !  "  We  had  not 
brought  along  our  guns,  and  we  concluded  it  would  be 
better  to  be  nearer  our  defenses.  We  started  for  our 
boat ;  but  no  sooner  had  we  emerged  from  the  crowd 
than  we  were  greeted  by  a  volley  of  mud  and  lumps  of 


144  CHINA  THROUGH  tHE  STEREOSCOPE. 

clay  (there  were  no  stones).  We  ducked  and  dodged  all 
the  way  back.  Dodging  missiles  from  Chinamen  was  a 
humiliation  to  which  we  had  not  been  accustomed.  In 
a  mood  to  even  up  honors,  we  brought  our  guns  on 
deck  and  donned  our  cartridge  belts;  there  was  a  silent 
but  hurried  retreat  all  along  the  line.  I  gave  Childs 
my  gun  to  carry,  took  my  camera,  went  on  shore  and 
we  advanced  to  the  place  from  which  we  had  retreated: 
but  like  the  clans  of  Culloden,  "  they  were  scattered  in 
flight."  I  took  my  view,  but  it  sadly  lacked  life  in  the 
foreground.  This  showed,  as  has  been  shown  in  a  thou- 
sand other  instances,  that  the  Chinese  lack  the  fighting 
instinct,  or,  in  other  words,  that  they  are  cowards;  but 
sometimes  will  fight  a  little  with  ten  to  one.  We  came 
off  ahead,  but  it  might  have  been  otherwise,  only  for 
the  alluvial  soil  which  offered  no  stones.  Childs  said, 
on  our  return,  that  he  had  heard  of  the  "  Battle  of  the 
Roses,"  but  he  had  never  anticipated  a  "  Battle  of  Mud." 
This  was  evidently  an  unfriendly  village  and  we  did  not 
care  to  linger.  Certain  villages  are  friendly  and  others 
unfriendly.  A  village  is  often  composed  of  a  clan,  or 
family  line,  where  one  disposition  characterizes  the  whole 
village ;  here  we  had  fallen  in  with  an  anti-foreign  breed 
and  as  soon  as  we  reached  our  boat,  our  order  to  the 
captain  was:  "  Walkee,  walkee,  chop,  chop!"  (Start  at 
once). 

Our  coolies  kept  tugging  at  the  tow-line  until,  some 
time  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  spied  a  typical  native 
plowman  quite  near  the  bank  of  the  canal.     He  had  a 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  145 

queer,  home-made  wooden  plow  attached  to  a  grim  and 
vicious-looking  water-buffalo.  It  was  a  capital  speci- 
men of  a  rustic  plowman,  and  I  decided  to  go  ashore 
for  a  stereograph.  I  placed  my  instrument  at  the  point 
of  his  nearest  approach ;  when  within  about  twenty  paces 
the  buffalo  halted ;  I  knew  something  about  the  idiosyn- 
crasies of  a  water-buffalo,  and  that  when  he  stops  to 
look  at  a  foreigner,  something  is  going  to  happen.  The 
plowman  himself  was  nearly  as  much  bewildered  as  the 
buffalo — was  not  only  bewildered  but  afraid;  he  lacked 
the  bravery  of  the  fishermen;  he  had  no  crowd  at  his 
back;  he  walloped  the  suspicious  beast  with  the  drive- 
rope  ;  it  would  not  budge.  I  saw  it  was  "  now  or  never." 
I  put  my  head  under  the  camera  cloth ;  this,  to  the  buf- 
falo' mind,  was  horror  added  to  the  horrible — a  foreigner 
behind  an  infernal  machine !  It  was  a  snort  and  a  lunge ; 
the  plowman  went  down ;  the  buffalo  went  off  as  if  fired 
from  a  catapult ;  a  cloud  of  dust  arose ;  the  plow  flew 
from  side  to  side  and  over  its  back ;  the  beast's  terror 
was  increased  by  shouts  of  laughter  from  Childs  and  the 
crew;  his  speed  increased  with  his  increasing  terror;  the 
plowman,  glad  of  an  excuse  to  run  away  from  us,  pur- 
sued like  mad.  The  poor  beast  was  soon  far  in  the  dis- 
tance, enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  dust ;  it  was  a  level  plain, 
and  the  last  we  saw  of  the  water-buffalo  was  a  black 
spot  in  the  horizon,  with  a  whisking  crescent  over  his 
back  made  by  the  flying  plow.  I  failed  in  getting  the 
stereograph,  but  succeeded  in  getting  a  laugh.  On  our 
return  trip  several  days  later,  we  recognized  the  same 


46  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

field  and  saw  that  no  plowing  had  been  done  in  the 
meantime.  We  wondered  whether  the  buffalo  had  yet 
stopped. 

During  the  afternoon  we  came  to  a  point  where  the 
canal  expanded  into  a  marsh  and  lake.  At  one  side  of 
this  marshy  plain,  a  large  town  was  located  on  a  hill- 
side, extending  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water.  We  saw 
banners  flying  and  a  great  assemblage  of  people  cover- 
ing the  side  of  the  slope,  and  decorated  boats  seemed 
to  fill  the  broad  stream  before  the  town.  Our  boy  ex- 
plained that  it  was  the  day  of  the  dragon  festival.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  important  fete  days  in  China.  It  is 
not  a  good  day  to  be  in  a  Chinese  crowd  in  a  remote 
and  hostile  province;  but  we  thought  we  would  expe- 
rience no  difficulty  in  making  our  way  past  the  town  in 
our  boat.  Boat-racing  is  an  important  feature  of  the 
day;  several  boats  curiously  decorated  and  filled  with 
men  rowing  with  short  paddles,  dashed  back  and  forth 
before  the  town.  While  these  picturesque  race-boats 
were  passing  and  repassing,  I  stood  on  the  bow  of  our 
little  boat  attempting  to  catch  views  as  we  moved 
through  among  them.  This  seemed  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  great  crowds  on  the  shore,  who  com- 
menced to  set  up  a  derisive  yell,  which  is  quite  peculiar 
and  as  distinguishable  as  the  Indian's  war-whoop.  A 
Chinese  crowd,  like  any  other  crowd,  is  always  more  in- 
flammable and  aggressive  on  a  holiday,  and  a  vast  as- 
semblage greatly  augments  individual  courage,  especial- 
ly among  Chinamen.     We  halted  for  a  while  to  witness 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  147 

the  Strange  proceedings ;  the  jeers  increased ;  then  came 
a  shower  of  mud ;  next  a  volley  of  stones ;  several  waded 
into  the  water  up  to  their  waists  around  our  boat;  an- 
other volley  of  stones  nearly  demolished  our  cabin  win- 
dow. At  this  we  jumped  into  our  little  cabin  and 
brought  out  our  guns  and  slipped  in  cartridges;  with 
this  threat  those  in  the  water  moved  back  a  little ;  the 
jeers  increased,  and  a  hundred  voices  were  shouting, 
"  Fanqwei !  fanqwei !  "  and  punctuating  their  raillery 
with  stones.  We  ordered  our  captain  to  move  on ;  our 
crew  at  this  point  were  all  on  board  and  propelling  the 
boat  with  the  sculls.  The  missiles  came  so  furiously  at 
one  time,  that  Childs  leveled  his  gun,  when  I  called  to 
him  not  to  shoot.  Fortunately,  at  this  point,  we  were 
thirty  or  forty  paces  from  the  shore  on  which  the  en- 
raged mob  stood,  while  the  number  in  the  water  near  us, 
on  the  opposite  side,  were  held  back  only  by  our  guns; 
our  coolies  were  as  glad  as  we  to  get  away  from  this 
ugly  and  cowardly  band.  We  ducked  stones  and  urged 
on  the  coolies.  The  mob  followed  for  a  half-mile  along 
the  shore,  shouting,  no  doubt,  all  manner  of  ribaldry, 
but  foreign  devil  was  all  we  could  understand.  We 
soon  entered  a  small  lake  where  they  could  no  longer 
follow,  but  until  we  were  out  of  sight  we  could  hear  their 
peculiar  yell  of  derision. 

We  anchored  late  that  night  in  the  canal,  and  got  away 
by  daylight  in  the  morning,  that  we  might  make  the 
end  of  our  boat  journey,  some  ten  miles  farther,  and 
have  the  whole  day  for  the  last  twenty  miles,  which  must 


148  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

be  made  in  chairs.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon 
we  came  to  a  few  houses  scattered  along  the  bank  of  the 
canal ;  here  we  must  debark  and  find  sedan  chairs ;  they 
could  only  be  obtained  in  a  town  five  miles  away.  Two 
of  our  coolies  were  dispatched  in  haste ;  they  returned 
near  noon  with  chairs  and  chair-coolies.  We  had  vict- 
uals for  two  days  in  readiness.  Guns,  ammunition, 
camera,  etc.,  were  packed  in  the  chair.  Our  "  boy " 
must  go  afoot  with  several  straps  of  cash  over  his  shoul- 
der— cash  to  buy  eggs  in  the  country,  to  buy  hot  water, 
to  mollify  the  mercenary — cash  was  our  only  credential, 
and  the  "  boy  "  had  yet  nearly  thirty  pounds  on  his  back, 
the  equivalent  of  five  Mexican  dollars,  or  two  and  one- 
half  dollars  in  American  money. 

We  had  now  reached  the  foothills  of  the  mountain 
region.  Twenty  miles  is  a  good  ride  in  a  carriage;  it 
is  a  long  journey  in  a  sedan  chair,  in  a  rough  mountain 
district,  where  there  are  no  roads,  where  one  has  to  pass 
many  villages,  through  countless  rice-fields  on  narrow 
mud  dykes,  along  rocky  declivities  and  up  steep  slopes. 
Our  chairs  were  of  the  rustic  order,  made  of  bamboo 
suspended  on  bamboo  poles  ten  feet  long.  The  teeter- 
ing sensation  was  not  disagreeable ;  but  there  were  other 
sensations.  All  persons  do  not  know  that  a  rice-field 
is,  at  times,  a  pond  of  water,  at  other  times  a  pool  of 
mud.  These  fields  are  separated  by  ridges  of  clay  some- 
times a  foot,  sometimes  two  feet  above  the  mud  or 
water.  To  pass  around  the  corners  of  the  mud-fields, 
on  narrow  ridges,  without  being  precipitated  into  the 


i 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 49 

mud,  was  the  most  precarious  part  of  our  journey,  and 
in  this  we  did  not  quite  succeed.  I  would  surely  be 
charged  with  exaggeration  should  I  attempt  to  say  how 
many  times  our  chair-coolies  were  pitched  over  the  nar- 
row dyke  into  the  deep  mire  while  attempting  to  turn 
the  sharp  angles,  we  ourselves  only  escaping  a  mud- 
bath  by  clambering  to  the  treacherous  path  till  the 
coolies  could  be  extricated.  During  the  afternoon  we 
stopped  in  the  outskirts  of  a  village  for  lunch.  We  were, 
of  course,  at  once  surrounded  by  curious  villagers  who 
showed  no  unfriendliness,  but  were  greatly  interested  in 
our  modern  firearms,  and  Childs  entertained  them  by 
bringing  down  birds  from  the  highest  treetops.  Only 
one  incident  occurred  here  worth  relating,  an  incident 
which  shows  how  tricky  and  unscrupulous  the  Chinese 
are  in  ways  of  extorting  money.  An  old  woman  hurried 
into  our  presence  leading  a  child  and  aflfecting  great  dis- 
tress of  mind ;  a  stream  of  blood  was  trickling  over  the 
child's  face  from  a  scalp  wound.  She  showed  us  the 
wound  and,  jabbering  explanations,  pointed  to  our  guns, 
intimating  we  had  shot  her  child.  My  companion  broke 
into  a  roar  of  laughter  and  showed  how  we  had  been 
shooting  altogether  in  an  opposite  direction  and  away 
from  the  village  in  which  she  lived.  The  natives  about 
us  saw  the  shooting  and  also  laughed  at  the  woman's 
stupid  and  futile  scheme  to  obtain  money.  The  trifling 
scalp  wound  was  maternally  inflicted  and  her  plan  proved 
a  bungling  and  unsuccessful  bit  of  blackmail. 


15°  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

This  was  the  first  village  in  which  we  had  found  the 
inhabitants  friendly.  The  chair-coolies  got  a  feed  of  rice 
from  the  villagers,  and  we  ate  our  lunch  hemmed  in 
by  a  staring  group  of  onlookers,  which  was  not  alto- 
gether agreeable,  because  one  is  liable  at  any  moment 
to  be  colonized  by  a  drift  of  eleemosynary  insects  from 
leeward,  and  this  prospect  is  somewhat  de-appetizing. 
Another  plain  of  rice  fields  lay  before  us  which  involved 
unpleasant  liabilities  and  greatly  retarded  our  progress. 
But  we  got  across  with  a  single  catastrophe,  I  heard, 
proceeding  from  Childs,  who  was  behind  me,  great  vol- 
umes of  thrice-underscored  English.  I  looked  bacl^ 
and  saw  one  of  his  coolies  submerged  in  the  liquid  soil, 
the  other  at  the  front,  upon  the  ridge  of  clay.  The  mud 
just  reached  the  seat  of  the  chair  and  my  friend  sat  quite 
helpless,  holding  his  gun  out  of  the  mud  with  one  hand 
and  projecting  his  feet  upward.  The  dilemma  was  only 
for  a  moment,  as  his  loud  and  intensive  language  worked 
as  an  explosion  of  dynamite  and  brought  the  submerged 
coolie  to  the  surface  and,  presto,  to  the  path.  As  usual, 
there  was  no  damage  except  to  the  coolie's  clothes,  and 
that  was  not  serious,  as  they  consisted  only  of  "  one- 
piece  shirt."  A  great  part  of  our  journey  by  chair  thus 
far  had  been  across  these  rice  fields,  or  "  sloughs  of  de- 
spond," as  Childs  called  them,  but  now  we  had  reached 
the  first  mountain  slope.  We  rested  a  few  minutes  at  a 
wayside  inn,  where  our  coolies  regaled  themselves  with 
tea.  We  found  tea-stands  every  few  miles.  In  many 
places  the  tea  stood  at  the  door  as  a  sort  of  a  free-lunch 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  151 

trap  for  wayfarers ;  in  other  places  it  must  be  paid  for 
at  the  rate  of  a  "  cash  "  a  cup.  The  cups  are  small  and 
five  or  six  of  them  would  scarcely  equal  in  quantity  an 
American  "  schooner  " ;  besides  tea,  about  the  only  drink 
to  be  obtained  at  these  inns,  is  "  sam  shui,"  a  sort  of 
home-made  wine.  Western  whiskies  and  other  civilized 
death-dealing  and  fiend-producing  decoctions  are  un- 
known in  these  rural  districts. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  were  among  the  lower  moun- 
tain slopes  and  scattering  patches  of  tea  plants  began  to 
appear.  It  was  up  a  steep  mountain  side,  over  a  crest 
and  down  again  into  a  table-land  covered  with  patches 
of  paddy  (growing  rice  in  Eastern  countries  is  called 
paddy)  until  nightfall,  when  we  entered  a  broad,  fertile 
valley  watered  by  a  small  river. 

Darkness  overtook  us  and  we  had  yet  several  miles 
to  go  before  we  reached  our  destination  at  a  place  called 
Matin.  Our  chair-bearers  had  become  considerably  ex- 
hausted and  stopped  frequently  to  rest  at  places  on  the 
wayside,  where  curious  rustics  would  peer  around  us  in 
the  darkness,  sometimes  thrusting  their  faces  under  the 
front  of  our  covered  chairs.  Our  surroundings  were  now 
becoming  weird  and  dismal.  Our  men  sometimes  left  us 
for  a  few  minutes  to  quench  their  thirst  at  some  tea- 
house; we  could  hear  persons  passing  and  repassing  in 
the  darkness. 

Once  we  became  separated  for  an  hour ;  Childs's  men 
had  taken  a  different  path.  Mine  waited  in  a  farm-yard 
till  our  boy  had  brought  in  Childs;  meantime,  I  sat  in 


152  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

my  chair  surrounded  by  bogey-men;  some  came  with 
paper  lanterns  which  they  held  up  before  me  to  get  a 
look  at  a  "  foreign  devil."  My  companion  had  both 
guns  in  his  chair;  when  he  was  brought  back  we  ap- 
portioned our  armament  and  resolved  not  to  become 
separated  again ;  we  knew  now  we  had  no  house-boat  to 
fall  back  upon  and  trusted  we  might  not  fall  into  a 
dragon-festival  crowd.  Not  till  near  ten  o'clock  that 
night  did  we  reach  the  town  of  Matin.  Our  chair-coolies 
bore  us  through  narrow,  winding  alleys  for  a  great  dis- 
tance. The  streets  were  dimly  lighted  with  paper  and 
tin  lanterns  and  we  were  set  down  in  the  heart  of  a 
strange  town  in  the  Province  of  Hunan,  we  were  told, 
but  from  subsequent  examination  of  maps  I  believe  we 
were  just  on  the  boundary  between  the  provinces  of 
Hupeh  and  Kiangsi  (see  map  of  Eastern  China,  Map 
No.  2). 

At  once  we  were  surrounded  by  the  usual  crowd  of 
night-prowlers  of  every  description.  We  had  no  idea 
where  we  could  spend  the  night.  We  told  our  boy  to 
ask  some  one  to  take  us  to  the  mandarin.  The  news 
of  our  arrival,  even  though  late  at  night,  spread  rapidly ; 
the  street  was  soon  a  solid  mass  of  struggling  humanity ; 
it  was  difficult  for  our  chair-men  to  make  any  headway 
in  such  a  crowd.  They  clung  to  the  sides  of  our  chairs 
and  peered  in  at  us;  they  trampled  each  other  down. 
It  had  a  good  elTect  when  they  learned  we  were  to  go 
to  the  mandarin's.  Our  "  boy  "  and  the  chair-coolies 
slowly  wedged  their  way,  by  inches,  through  the  dense 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  153 

mass.  The  mandarin's  palace  (?)  was  a  half-mile  away; 
and  after  we  emerged  from  the  crowd  it  followed  us  to 
the  door  of  the  buildings  said  to  contain  the  high  func- 
tionary we  sought.  It  required  several  minutes  of  pound- 
ing at  a  great  wooden  door  before  any  response  came ; 
at  last  some  one,  I  suppose  a  servant,  arrived.  Our  in- 
structions to  our  "boy"  were  about  as  follows:  "Tell 
the  good  mandarin  we  are  Americans,  come  to  see  Chi- 
nese Tea-man — have  no  place  to  sleep — will  good  man- 
darin let  us  sleep  any  place  inside  his  palace  ?  "  It 
should  be  remembered  our  "  boy  "  could  speak  only  a 
little  English.  We  waited  long  for  a  reply  and  the 
crowd  around  us  at  the  door  was  constantly  increasing. 
When  the  reply  came  it  was  not  very  encouraging.  It 
was:  "  Mandarin  cannot  do."  Childs,  who  knew  the 
mandarin  character  pretty  well,  said  he  thought  a 
stronger  appeal  was  necessary — that  we  must  see  the 
mandarin  himself ;  so,  to  get  out  of  the  crowd,  by  sheer 
effrontery,  we  pressed  within  the  outer  door ;  but  the 
crowd  followed. 

After  much  wrangling  and  persuasion  by  a  number  of 
mandarinish  flunkies,  the  crowd  was  pressed  back  and 
the  door  made  fast.  Childs  with  his  gun,  accompanied 
our  "  boy  "  into  the  presence  of  His  Excellency  and  stated 
the  urgency  of  our  case, — that  there  was  no  hotel ;  that 
there  were  plenty  bad  men  outside ;  that  our  hong  at 
Hankow  "  makee  "  buy  plenty  tea ;  these  and  numerous 
other  necessitous  lies  induced  the  mandarin,  after  a  full 
half-hour  of  talking,  to  allow  us  to  sleep  in  an  empty 


154  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

room.  The  servants  found  two  rough  doors  for  us  to 
sleep  upon.  We  were  too  glad  to  be  within  walls  to 
complain  of  a  bed  of  hard  boards,  and  after  a  midnight 
repast  we  stretched  out  upon  our  doors  to  await  the 
strange  disclosures  of  the  coming  dawn. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  mandarin  as  "  His  Excellency," 
and  of  his  domicile  as  the  palace ;  but  there  did  not  appear 
to  be  any  excellent  qualities  about  him  or  anything  pala- 
tial about  his  residence.  He  was  ordinary  in  appearance, 
stupid  and  boorish  in  manner,  devoid  of  hospitality  and 
actuated  alone  by  suspicion.  His  home  was  a  tile- 
roofed,  one-story  agglomeration  of  sheds  made  of  sun- 
dried  brick  without  and  finished  within  in  the  crudest 
fashion  with  hand-sawed  lumber.  He  was  plainly  a 
country  mandarin. 

When  we  arose  in  the  morning  we  found  the  town  of 
Matin  situated  in  a  beautiful  and  well-cultivated  valley, 
flanked  by  lofty,  near-by  hills  with  towering  mountains  in 
the  distance.  The  valley  was  checkered  with  paddy  fields, 
and  on  the  hillsides  were  patches  of  tea  alternating  with 
shrubbery.  The  tea  plantations  were  a  great  disappoint- 
ment to  me ;  they  consisted  of  only  small,  stunted  bushes 
twelve  or  fourteen  inches  high,  in  scattered  patches  that 
were  worthless  as  showing  a  typical  tea  plantation.  Con- 
siderable quantities  of  tea  were  brought  in  and  pressed  at 
this  place.  I  have  been  in  many  tea  plantations  in  India, 
in  Ceylon  and  in  Japan,  and  I  considered  the  plantation  at 
this  place  unworthy  a  photographic  reproduction ;  but  I 
felt  I  must  go  out  on  the  hillsides  to  look  around  and 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  155 

possibly  make  a  view.     The  first  crop  of  tea  had  been 
picked,  and  no  tea-pickers  were  in  the  field. 

I  thought  a  group  of  tea-picking  girls  with  their  tea- 
baskets  would  be  an  improvement  to  the  landscape.  So 
we  set  our  "  boy  "  with  the  mandarin's  servants  at  work 
to  hire  a  group  to  go  out  with  their  baskets.  This  we 
found  to  be  difficult  of  accomplishment,  because  of  the 
strange  suspicions  that  seemed  at  once  to  fill  the  minds  of 
the  whole  people.  After  long  persuasion  and  offering 
tempting  straps  of  "  cash,"  a  few  girls  were  assembled  for 
the  field.  Then  the  mandarin  decided  to  go  out  also ;  but 
he  was  under  the  impression  that  we  were  tea-merchants. 
When  that  "thing  of  evil,"  the  camera, was  brought  out  all 
was  changed;  the  mandarin  sneaked  back  into  his  quarters ; 
the  tea-pickers,  one  after  another,  gradually  disappeared. 
National  suspiciousness  had  overpowered  them  all;  we 
were  there  for  some  evil  purpose,  they  thought.  We  left 
our  guns  in  our  room  to  lull  fear  and  suspicion,  but  the 
camera  was  an  omen  of  evil  to  be  dreaded  even  more  than 
our  Martini-Henri  rifle.  In  profound  disgust  we  started 
oflF  for  the  hillsides,  followed  by  a  motley  rabble  of  boys 
and  men.  We  reached  the  foothills,  where  we  looked 
down  upon  what  you  may  see  also. 

38.    Paddy  Fields  and   Group   of  Jeering   Natives   at 
Matin,  '^00  Miles  Inland,  Kiangsi  Province. 

One  portion  of  the  crowd  following  us  is  there  on  the 
bridge ;  another  squad  is  on  the  hillside,  toward  the  right, 
beyond  the  range  of  our  vision.     I  made  several  attempts 


156  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

before  this  view  was  taken  to  stereograph  this  band  of 
rustics  at  close  quarters,  but  failed,  because,  although 
sadly  lacking  in  intelligence,  they  seemed  to  know  the 
business  front  of  a  camera  and  scattered  with  the  slightest 
turn  in  their  direction;  but  at  this  distance  they  do  not 
imagine  their  pictures  can  be  taken.  This  is  an  exceed- 
ingly interesting  scene;  in  the  first  place,  because  it  is  in 
the  heart  of  China;  in  the  second  place,  because  it  is  in 
the  mountain  region  where  tea  is  grown;  and  besides,  it 
shows  you  paddy  or  rice  fields  which  I  had  occasion  to 
mention,  but  could  not  show  you  en  route.  Here,  in  the 
interior,  we  see  again  the  typical  arched  bridge,  such  as 
we  saw  at  Soo-chow ;  but  this  has  two  arches,  with  only 
one  in  sight.  I  have  seen  beautiful  bridges  in  China  with 
over  fifty  arches ;  as  usual,  this  bridge  is  made  for  foot- 
passers  only  and  is  approached  by  steps.  You  see,  too, 
the  stream  that  irrigates  the  valley,  flooding  the  paddy 
fields ;  it  might  be  called  the  purveyor  for  the  whole  popu- 
lation. Can  we  wonder  that  the  Chinese,  in  their  poly- 
theism, give  a  prominent  place  to  Pingee,  the  river-god? 
You  see  this  fluvial  fertilizer  sparkling  again  in  the  dis- 
tance where  the  hills  draw  near  together. 

Do  you  know  that  rice  is  one  of  the  most  valuable,  in- 
dispensable and  universal  food  products  in  the  world? 
The  Encyclopaedia  Britannica  places  it  second  to  wheat, 
but  I  refuse  to  accept  that  so-called  high  authority  on  any 
statement  so  obviously  erroneous.  Europe  and  the 
Americas  are  the  chief  wheat-eating  countries  of  the 
world,  and  China  alone  has  a  greater  population  than  all ; 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  157 

and  China  is  a  country  whose  food  staple  is  rice.  Then 
we  must  remember  that  the  vast  population  of  Africa  and 
the  other  parts  of  Asia,  with  the  East  Indies,  are  essen- 
tially rice-eating  peoples.  This  is  why  I  presume  to  say, 
on  my  own  authority,  that  rice  is  the  most  important  and 
universal  food  product  in  the  world.  Here  we  see  it 
growing  in  patches,  inclosed  by  ridges  of  soil  and  flooded 
with  water.  You  probably  know  that  rice  is  an  aquatic 
plant  and  is  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  India,  although 
there  are  kinds  that  will  grow  on  high  lands.  It  is  sown 
in  mud  or  water,  and  when  it  has  grown  to  be  eight  or 
ten  inches  high  it  is  transplanted,  as  you  see  it  in  these 
fields. 

From  the  appearance  of  this  field  you  can  now  under- 
stand the  difficulties  we  encountered  on  our  journey  in 
traversing  paddy  fields  for  miles  along  those  narrow 
ridges  in  sedan-chairs,  and  especially  in  turning  those 
angles. 

Those  mountains  are  all  tea-lands  as  far  as  you  can 
see,  although  there  is  no  tea  in  sight  except  a  little  line  of 
stunted  bushes  close  down  on  our  right.  The  tea-plant 
does  not  like  the  vicinity  of  salt  water,  but  thrives  best  in 
mountain  air  and  mountain  soil.  These  peasants  do  not 
seem  to  differ  in  appearance  from  those  we  have  seen  in 
other  localities;  they  wear  the  queue;  their  heads  are 
shaven ;  some  are  half  nude ;  some  wear  trousers  with 
shirts  outside ;  some  are  barefoot  and  some  are  shod,  and 
all  are  impudent  in  a  cowardly  fashion. 

We  will  descend  from  the  slope  on  which  we  stand. 


158  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

cross  the  bridge  and  continue  directly  across  the  valley, 
followed  by  the  gang  on  the  hillside  above  us  and  those  at 
the  bridge,  till  we  reach  the  opposite  slopes,  where  we  will 
ascend  to  a  height  which  will  enable  us  to  look  back  across 
the  valley  almost  toward  the  place  we  here  occupy. 
While  we  are  making  that  short  distance  of  about  a  half 
mile  that  native  escort  will,  from  a  distance  in  the  rear, 
continue  to  utter  their  shouts  of  mockery  and  their  taunt- 
ing yells. 

39.  Paddy  Fields,  Farm  Hoases  and  Patches  of  Tea 
at  Matin,  Kiangsi  Province,  among  the  Moun- 
tains of  Interior  China. 

Before  we  had  reached  a  considerable  elevation  the  rab- 
ble following  had  been  increased  by  a  contingent  from  the 
town, — a  more  belligerent  element.  No  sooner  was  my 
camera  placed  for  this  view  than  several  small  stones  fell 
around  us;  it  was  not  easy  to  ascertain  the  individuals 
throwing  them.  Many  of  them  carried  sticks  and  some 
poles.  One  bold  fellow  advanced,  and  with  a  pole  up- 
lifted threatened  to  smash  my  camera.  Childs  stood  near 
with  a  heavy  stone  in  each  hand  and  held  them  in  check 
until  this  stereograph  was  hurriedly  taken.  During  this 
time  a  heavy  clod  from  some  one  in  the  rear  of  the 
crowd  landed  on  the  camera,  but  did  no  serious  damage. 
They  were  emboldened  by  the  fact  that  we  had  no  weap- 
ons of  defense,  not  even  sticks.  We  had  expected  the 
mandarin  to  accompany  us,  and  so  left  our  guns  at  the 
palace. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 59 

We  need  not,  however,  let  the  rabble  disturb  our  enjoy- 
ment of  the  landscape.  Our  faithful  servant  is  before  us 
and  looks  off  into  space,  as  though  he  were  unconscious 
of  the  cowardly  demonstration  taking  place  behind  him, 
and  that  by  his  own  countrymen.  Two  small  bushes  of 
tea  are  just  at  our  feet;  these  near  specimens  will  show 
how  miserably  stunted  were  the  tea-plants  in  this  region. 
You  may  see  a  patch  farther  down  the  mountain-side; 
the  mountain  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley  had  only  such 
patches  as  these  scattered  here  and  there  among  the  slopes. 
It  does  not  follow  that  tea  in  all  parts  of  China  is  like  this ; 
we  were  only  unfortunate  in  getting  into  a  region  where 
the  plantations  were  poor,  and  a  typical  tea-picking  scene 
could  not  be  found.  In  the  distance  you  see  mountains 
of  considerable  size;  they  are  the  same  over  which 
we  passed  on  our  way  to  this  place  and  over  which  we 
must  return.  It  looks  like  a  formidable  journey  for  our 
poor  chair-coolies.  We  shall  start  at  noon,  and  we  must 
traverse  those  mountains  again  and  reach  our  house-boat, 
twenty  miles  away,  before  we  can  sleep  to-night.  Look 
now  at  those  farm  houses  down  below.  Everybody  wants 
to  (know  how  a  country  house  in  the  interior  of  China 
looks.  You  may  know  as  much  about  it  now  as  I  do 
after  all  my  trouble.  It  cost  me  hardship,  deprivation  and 
no  inconsiderable  sum  of  money.  Are  they  loghouses, 
framehouses,  stonehouses,  mudhouses  or  what?  Are  the 
roofs  of  tin,  thatch,  tiles  or  shingles?  Can  you  see 
smoke  issuing  from  chimneys?  No,  there  are  no  chim- 
neys ;  the  houses  are  of  brick ;  the  roofs  are  of  tile ;  there 


l6o  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

are  two  groups  of  farm  houses.  Do  you  imagine  they 
rear  litters  of  edible  kittens  in  those  houses?  I  scarcely 
think  they  do  in  the  country.  No  doubt,  if  we  could  see 
within  those  houses,  there  would  be  many  things  in  the 
ways  of  the  Chinaman  which  would  seem  very  strange 
to  us. 

As  soon  as  our  view  was  made  we  started  for  the  town, 
and  as  we  turned  Childs  received  a  heavy  stone  on  the 
shoulder;  it  might  have  disabled  a  less  powerful  man. 
The  blow  from  the  stone  angered  my  companion  and  he 
charged  the  whole  crowd.  It  scattered,  but  as  he  re- 
turned he  was  followed  by  a  volley  of  stones.  As  we  had 
done  before,  we  retreated,  dodging  stones  as  we  did  so. 
We  finally  got  out  of  reach  and  returned  to  the  house  of 
the  mandarin,  the  inhospitable  home  of  the  lord  of  the 
town,  in  which  our  bed  had  been  a  door  and  our  food  a 
stone.  Our  reception  in  Matin  had  not  created  in  us  a 
wish  for  a  long  sojourn,  but  rather  a  somewhat  ardent 
desire  to  reach  our  house-boat  as  soon  as  possible.  We 
shook  the  dust  from  off  our  feet — much  dust —  and  by 
midday  were  in  our  sedans  again  with  twenty  miles  of  cir- 
cuitous mountain  trails  and  paddy-pools  before  us.  I  will 
not  relate  our  experience  on  the  return  trip,  except  to  say 
that  at  the  last  town,  within  five  miles  of  our  boat,  our 
chair-bearers  left  us  in  total  darkness  surrounded  by  a 
dense  gathering  of  the  usual  type,  while  they  regaled  their 
chums  with  tea  in  some  teahouse.  Our  "  boy "  could 
not  induce  them  to  forsake  their  pals,  and  there  we  sat. 
knowing  all  the  while  that  we  were  in  unsafe  quarters. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE,  l6l 

At  last,  in  sheer  desperation,  we  gathered  our  guns  and 
traps  together  and  commanded  our  "  boy  "  to  guide  us  out 
of  the  town  on  foot.  We  started  through  a  dark  alley, 
and  soon  encountered  a  savage  volley  of  stones.  My 
camera  received  one  stone  and  still  bears  the  mark.  After 
tedious  groping,  in  imminent  peril  of  broken  heads,  we 
reached  the  open  field.  We  had  walked  a  mile,  when  our 
coolies,  hearing  that  we  had  left  them  and  afraid  of  for- 
feiting their  pay,  hurried  on  and  overtook  us.  We 
reached  our  boat  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  weary  and 
sorely  out  of  favor  with  the  Chinese  Empire.  I  still  re- 
member my  companion's  remark  when  he  threw  himself 
upon  a  bench  in  our  little  cabin;  shrugging  his  bruised 
shoulder,  he  ejaculated,  "  Ricalton,  I  commence  to  appre- 
ciate what  stoning  means."  And  true  it  is,  our  greetings 
in  many  places  had  been  quite  barbarous ;  yet  it  should  be 
remembered  that  I  have  made  fuller  mention  of  our  ex- 
perience in  the  hostile  villages,  and  it  is  but  fair  to  state 
that  we  passed  through  several  villages  where  the  inhabit- 
ants were  mild-mannered  and  kindly;  upon  the  whole, 
though,  I  must  say  that,  while  I  have  been  in  most  of  the 
Oriental  countries,  I  have  never,  in  any  place,  barring, 
perhaps,  some  portions  of  the  Mohammedan  world,  met 
with  so  much  suspicion  of  and  hostility  to  foreigners. 
The  annals  of  China,  however,  show  us  that  such  was  not 
always  the  case ;  that  previous  to  the  reign  of  the  present 
dynasty,  which  extends  over  a  period  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years,  the  sentiment  of  the  people  was  favorable  to 
foreigners  ;  but  the  Manchu  rulers,  being  jealous  not  only 


1 62  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

of  foreign  influence  but  of  the  Chinese  themselves,  in- 
augurated a  period  of  exclusiveness  toward  everything 
which  might  hazard  the  permanency  of  their  own  reign. 

We  will  now  turn  away  from  our  ordeal  of  stone  and 
mud  and  omit  any  mention  of  our  return  voyage  until  we 
reach  Kinkow,  the  place,  you  will  remember,  where  I 
showed  you  our  little  house-boat  and  where  we  made  our 
first  stop  after  starting  out  on  our  trip;  the  place  also 
where  dwelt  a  mandarin,  for  whose  entertainment  my 
companion  showed  some  forethought  when  laying  in  a 
supply  of  food  at  Hankow.  Kinkow  is  an  important  city 
at  the  confluence  of  a  small  river,  with  the  mighty  Yang- 
tse-Kiang.  This  smaller  river,  on  our  arrival,  was  con- 
gested with  all  sorts  of  native  boats,  including  a  fleet  of 
native  river  gun-boats  commanded  by  a  naval  mandarin, 
or,  perhaps  I  should  say,  a  river  admiral.  This  high 
functionary  was  he  for  whom  the  bottles  of  whisky  had 
been  considerately  provided.  My  friend,  on  some  pre- 
vious occasion,  met  this  mandarin  and  knew  something  of 
his  predilections  for  Western  stimulants.  After  our  ar- 
rival, we  dispatched  our  "  boy  "  to  find  him,  on  learning 
he  had  left  his  war-iunk  for  some  part  of  the  city.  He 
was  soon  found ;  he  returned  to  his  fleet  and  received  us 
on  board  his  flag- junk  with  great  cordiality.  He  could 
not  speak  a  word  of  English,  but  being  very  jovial  and 
intelligent,  the  extent  and  success  of  our  pantomimic  com- 
munication was  really  wonderful ;  then,  when  panto- 
mime was  inadequate,  we  fell  back  upon  our  boy's 
"  pigeon  "  English.    His  home  and  family  were  in  the  city. 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 63 

The  Western  "  Sam-Shui  "  was  sampled,  and  his  good 
fellowship  was  increased.  It  was  necessary  to  visit  his 
home  to  enjoy  his  hospitality.  Accordingly  we  did  so. 
We  accompanied  him  for  a  considerable  distance  and  for 
once  passed  through  a  native  city  unmolested.  We  were 
the  guests  of  a  mandarin,  and  our  immunity  from  stones 
and  jeers  was  quite  delectable  after  our  experiences  at 
Matin.  We  entered  the  mandarin's  home;  we  were  es- 
corted to  a  seat  of  honor,  an  elevated  dais,  where  a  plate 
of  sweetmeats  was  placed  between  us ;  this  was  followed 
by  a  service  of  tea  offered  in  exquisite  porcelain  cups. 
Before  we  left  the  flag-ship  he  expressed  a  desire  to  have 
his  picture  taken ;  this  was  quite  unusual  in  China ;  but 
he  was  intelligent  beyond  a  dread  of  the  camera.  I  was 
as  anxious  to  possess  his  picture  as  he  was  to  have  it 
taken,  but  the  apartments  in  his  home  were  poorly  lighted 
and  I  told  him  we  must  find  an  open  space  outside.  Up 
to  this  time  no  female  member  of  the  family  had  been  al- 
lowed to  come  into  our  presence;  but  when  I  suggested 
that  his  family  should  be  stereographed  with  him  he  was 
evidently  well  pleased,  and  orders  were  at  once  sent  to  the 
female  members  to  don  their  best.  We  sipped  the  mild, 
delicious  tea  and  ate  the  very  palatable  delicacies  for  a  few 
minutes  longer,  when  the  wife  and  a  daughter  of  the  pro- 
verbial sweet  ten  and  six  appeared,  in  beautiful  attire  and 
most  careful  toilette.  We  all  started  off  through  the  nar- 
row streets,  accompanied  by  servants  carrying  stand, 
stool,  et  cetera,  for  an  outdoor  group,  and  followed  by  a 
train  of  onlookers  from  the  street  that  grew  larger  and 


164  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

larger  as  we  proceeded.  We  at  last  reached  an  open 
space  under  some  trees  and  they  posed  as  you  here  see 
them. 


40.  A  Genial  Of&cial  of  Interior  China— Naval  Man- 
darin {Admiral  River  Fleet),  Wife  and  Daugh- 
ter, Kinkow. 

As  usual  we  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  back  the 
crowd,  and  a  mandarin  is  not  expected  to  interfere  with 
the  obtrusiveness  of  a  street  throng.  Besides,  you  can 
easily  perceive  by  his  mellow  blink  that  Western  cognac 
has  relegated  his  basilar  instincts  to  peaceful  realms,  or,  in 
other  words,  that  he  is  a  good-natured  fellow  under  bliss- 
ful stimulation;  these  conditions,  added  to  unusual  in- 
telligence, made  him  a  very  agreeable  personage  for  us 
after  spending  a  week  among  the  hostile  and  unscrupu- 
lous tribes  out  of  which  Boxers  are  organized.  The  wife 
appears  a  little  demure  or  matronly  modest.  The  daugh- 
ter is  probably  best  described  in  the  words  of  Childs,  who 
stood  at  my  back  keeping  off  the  crowd,  and  whispered : 
"  Isn't  she  a  dandy  ?  "  A  fan  is  the  vade  mecum  of  every 
Chinaman  under  the  sun  and  under  the  moon,  too,  for  that 
matter,  as  they  carry  them  at  night  as  well  as  during  the 
day.  A  Chinaman  without  a  fan  is  as  rare  as  one  without 
a  queue,  or  as  anomalous  as  a  Scotchman  without  an  um- 
brella. They  may  safely  be  called  the  greatest  fan  makers 
and  fan  users  in  the  world.  It  would  probably  be  more 
correct  to  call  them  fan  carriers  rather  than  fan  users,  as 
they  are  more  often  carried  and  not  used. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 65 

This  official  and  his  family  are  very  richly  attired ;  their 
garments  are  wholly  of  the  richest  silks  and  satins  and 
elaborately  wrought  in  the  finest  embroidery.  The  styles 
do  not  change  from  year  to  year,  as  ours  do ;  they  can, 
therefore,  provide  themselves  with  the  most  costly  dress 
without  the  necessity  of  a  new  supply  with  every  change 
of  fashion.  Fashions  remain  essentially  the  same  for  cen- 
turies, and  garments  are  handed  down  from  one  genera- 
tion to  another,  without  being  considered  antiquated.  The 
costumes  of  both  sexes  are  equally  graceful  and  conveni- 
ent. The  European  dress  has  been  called  a  "  mysterious 
combination  of  the  inconvenient  and  the  unpicturesque," 
And  so  it  is — neither  comfortable  nor  convenient — and  we 
are  greater  slaves  to  fashion  than  the  Chinese.  In  the 
Chinese  dress  there  is  not  much  difference  in  the  style  for 
the  sexes.  In  the  outer  tunics  worn  by  this  family  notice 
the  capacious  sleeves ;  they  are  very  full  and  often  ex- 
quisitely embroidered.  In  cold  weather,  instead  of  wear- 
ing mittens  or  gloves,  the  hands  are  drawn  within  the 
sleeves ;  and  good  breeding  requires  one  to  keep  the  hands 
in  such  a  position  as  to  properly  display  the  sleeves.  You 
may  understand  from  this  why  I  did  not  require  this 
mandarin  to  place  his  hands  in  a  more  graceful  position ; 
it  would  have  been  impertinence  and  bad  manners;  that 
IS  Ws  way  and  it  is  right,  according  to  his  standard  of 
good  form.  The  underskirt  is  one  of  the  prettiest  parts 
of  the  female  attire ;  it  extends  a  foot  below  the  outer  gar- 
ment and  is  beautifully  embroidered.  You  cannot  but  ob- 
serve the  entire  absence  of  collars  or  anything  about  the 


1 66  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

neck  to  impede  freedom  of  movement  and  destroy  com- 
fort. Probably  the  most  important  thing  about  the  dress 
is  that  square  piece  of  cloth  on  the  front  of  the  tunic, 
called  by  some  writers  a  breastplate.  It  is  elegantly 
wrought  in  gold  thread  and  silk  and  bears  the  insignia  of 
rank.  Sumptuary  laws  and  laws  of  rank  and  dress  are 
very  comprehensive  and  specific,  to  the  smallest  detail, 
in  China.  There  are  many  ranks  in  both  social  and  official 
life.  Houses  must  be  made  in  a  certain  way  for  a  certain 
rank,  even  to  the  most  trifling  detail.  It  is  the  same  in 
dress ;  what  is  to  be  worn  in  summer  and  what  in  winter 
is  prescribed,  from  hat  to  stockings,  with  the  utmost  par- 
ticularity. It  is  scarcely  possible  for  any  one  to  under- 
stand how  precise  and  exacting  are  these  laws  of  rank. 
It  is  worth  while  to  quote  a  few  lines  from  Gray's  ex- 
cellent work  on  China  in  regard  to  these  laws. 

"  The  law  distinctly  states,  with  regard  to  the  winter 
costume,  that  the  hat  to  be  worn  shall  be  covered  with 
dark  satin  and  the  inside  lined  with  dark  cloth.  The 
brim  is  to  be  turned  up.  The  apex  must  be  adorned 
with  a  tassel  of  red  silk  so  long  and  so  thick  as  to  cover 
the  entire  top.  The  top  of  a  court  hat  for  the  winter  sea- 
son must  be  covered  with  red  floss  silk  so  long  as  to 
extend  slightly  over  the  brim.  The  summer  hat  is  to 
be  made  either  of  fine  straw  or  of  very  thin  strips  of 
bamboo  or  rattan ;  the  outside  covered  with  very  fine 
silk,  with  a  tassel  of  red  silk  cord  on  the  top.  The  bor- 
der must  not  turn  up.  The  court  hat  for  summer  is  to 
resemble  the  ordinary  summer  hat  in  all  particulars  ex- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  l6j 

cept  the  following:  The  rim  must  be  covered  with  gold 
lace  and  the  inside  lined  with  red  gauze.  The  travelling 
hat  for  summer  is  to  resemble  the  ordinary  summer  hat 
in  form.  The  red  tassel,  however,  must  be  of  cow's  hair. 
In  addition  to  the  tassel,  a  button,  indicating  by  its  color 
the  rank  of  the  wearer,  must  be  attached  to  the  apex  of 
each  hat.  For  example,  the  hat  worn  by  a  gentleman 
or  officers  of  the  first  rank,  is  distinguished  by  a  button 
of  a  bright  red  color  on  its  apex.  A  dark  red  button 
distinguishes  the  second  rank;  a  dark  blue  button,  the 
third  rank ;  a  light-blue  button,  the  fourth  rank ;  a  crystal 
button,  the  fifth  rank;  a  white  button,  the  sixth  rank; 
a  gold  button,  the  seventh  or  eighth  rank ;  and  a  silver 
button,  the  ninth  rank.  To  the  back  of  each  hat  is  also 
attached  a  peacock's  feather,  which,  in  the  case  of  a  per- 
son of  high  rank,  has  two  eyes,  while  persons  of  inferior 
rank  are  restricted  to  a  feather  which  has  only  one  eye. 
On  those  so-called  breastplates  different  emblems  are 
used  to  designate  the  rank ;  birds  are  used  for  civil  ranks, 
and  animals  for  the  military.  The  uniform  of  the  im- 
perial soldiers  has  a  cloth  badge  on  the  breast  and  on 
the  back,  giving  the  regimental  designation.  Official 
gentlemen  of  the  highest  rank  have  the  angelic  stork  on 
the  breastplate ;  those  of  the  second  rank,  the  pheasant ; 
of  the  third  rank,  the  peacock;  of  the  fourth  rank,  the 
wild  goose ;  of  the  fifth,  the  silver  pheasant ;  of  the  sixth, 
the  cormorant ;  of  the  seventh,  a  bird  called  ki  chik ; 
of  the  eighth,  the  quail ;  of  the  ninth,  a  kind  of  white  bird. 


l68  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

The  rank  of  military  officers  is  designated  by  diflferent 
animals  on  the  breastplate." 

This  is  sufficient  to  show  you  how  exact  are  the  laws 
laid  down  for  rank  distinctions  in  dress ;  the  minute  rules 
about  the  cap  are  made  in  all  the  garments.  In  building 
houses  for  persons  of  different  ranks  the  same  detailed 
rules  must  be  observed,  even  to  the  number  of  nails  in 
certain  places.  Now,  can  you  tell  by  the  badges  on  the 
mandarin  and  his  wife  to  what  military  and  social  rank 
they  belong?  I  take  the  bird  on  the  wife's  badge  to  be 
a  wild  goose ;  if  that  be  correct,  she  is  of  the  fourth  rank ; 
but  I  cannot  identify  the  animal  on  the  breastplate  of 
the  mandarin :  it  is  something  like  a  lion  and  not  alto- 
gether unlike  a  yellow  dog ;  but  I  cannot  make  out  witli 
certainty.  The  daughter  is  probably  too  young  to  have 
yet  taken  a  degree,  but  she  surely  bears  the  loveliest  in- 
signia of  all,  the  badge  of  modest  maidenhood. 

We  returned  to  the  mandarin's  fleet  in  the  river.  He 
was  on  board  to  receive  us.  Our  house-boat  was 
brought  alongside.  A  salute  of  four  guns  was  fired  in 
our  honor,  that  being  the  highest  number  given  as  a 
mark  of  honor,  and  after  saluting  Chinese  fashion,  then 
European  fashion,  and  repeating  the  formality  again  and 
again,  bowing  like  fighting-cocks  all  the  while,  we  sculled 
out  into  the  great  yellow  Yang-tse-Kiang,  where  we 
caught  a  lively  breeze  which  soon  carried  us  the  last 
twenty  miles  down  stream  to  Hankow.  I  paid  oflF  my 
crew,  returned  the  house-boat  to  the  owners  and  this 
terminated  my  trip  of  a  hundred  miles  into  the  moun- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 69 

tain  region.  On  the  following  day  I  took  passage  on 
one  of  the  regular  steamers  for  Shanghai,  stopping  off 
for  a  night  at  Nankin,  in  order  to  visit  the  famous  tombs 
of  the  Kings. 

41.    Huge  Stone  Figures  on  the  Avenue  leading  to  the 
Tombs  of  tlie  Kings,  Nankin. 

Nankin  is  still  a  great  city  of  two  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  although  it  has  suffered  much  both  from  the 
ravages  of  time  and  war.  It  lies  three  miles  inland,  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Yang-tse,  about  one  hundred  miles 
from  Shanghai.  The  wall  surrounding  the  ancient  city 
measures  about  thirty-five  miles,  but  the  present  wall  is 
only  about  twenty,  and  in  some  places  shows  the  effects 
of  time.  For  many  years  during  the  Ming  dynasty  it 
was  the  capital  of  the  empire;  and  here  Hung  Wu  died 
in  1398  A.D.  Hung  Wu  was  the  founder  of  the  Ming 
dynasty.  The  founder  of  that  famous  order  of  Kings 
was  buried  in  the  royal  tombs  a  short  distance  outside 
the  city.  The  ruins  of  those  tombs  are  all  that  is  now 
left  to  attract  travellers  to  the  old  capital.  They  are 
known  as  the  "  Tombs  of  the  Kings,"  but  are  sometimes 
called  the  "  Ming  Tombs,"  the  same  as  the  royal  tombs 
near  Pekin.  The  ancient  royal  tombs,  both  at  Pekin 
and  Nankin,  are  approached  by  a  dromos  or  avenue  of 
stone  figures.  They  include  human  figures,  seemingly 
those  of  warriors  and  priests,  figures  of  lions,  horses, 
camels  and  elephants ;  they  are  ranged  along  either  side 
of  what  has  once  been  a  well-paved  way,  sometimes  in 


lyo  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

single  pairs  and  sometimes  in  doubles.  While  the  art 
displayed  in  the  hewing  out  of  these  colossal  figures  is 
not  of  the  highest  order,  the  amount  of  labor  required 
and  the  mechanical  appliances  necessary  are  truly  won- 
derful. These  figures  of  elephants  are  monolithic,  twelve 
feet  high  and  about  seven  feet  in  breadth.  They  are 
intended  to  represent  the  guardians  of  the  royal  dead. 
The  site  of  the  tomb  itself  is  seemingly  unknown.  The 
backs  of  the  elephants  are  covered  with  stones ;  whether 
placed  there  by  the  spyort  of  boys  or  whether  they  possess 
some  commemorative  significance  I  could  not  learn. 
Gigantic  figures  of  elephants  similar  to  these  at  the 
"  Ming  Tombs  "  near  Pekin,  are  known  to  have  been 
transported  for  over  a  hundred  miles  by  primitive  meth- 
ods. I  made  views  of  other  figures  along  this  monu- 
mental highway  to  the  grave  of  the  great  Hung  Wu, 
but  I  have  no  space  for  them,  and  we  shall  return  to  the 
river,  only  stopping  on  our  way  to  examine  a  bamboo 
plantation. 

43'    Caltivated  Bamboo — A  Plantation  at  Nankin, 

I  have  already  called  your  attention  to  rice  as  the  most 
universal  food  product  and  the  most  useful  cereal  in 
the  world.  Now,  I  will  ask  you  to  consider,  for  a  little 
while,  another  remarkable  plant  of  the  same  family,  but 
of  a  different  species.  The  bamboo  belongs  to  the  grass 
family,  and,  because  of  its  gigantic  size,  its  great  utilit)'-, 
its  unsurpassed  gracefulness  and  beauty,  it  has  properly 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  171 

been  called  the  "  King  of  the  Grasses."  It  may  be  ordi- 
nary and  uninteresting  to  you,  but  it  is  an  arboreal  pet 
of  mine,  and  you  must  pardon  me  if  I  dwell  for  a  little 
upon  it.  The  bamboo  and  I  are  old  friends.  I  have 
learned  to  know  something  of  its  wonderful  qualities 
and  uses,  and  among  all  plants  which  have  reached  the 
dignity  of  a  tree,  both  for  usefulness  and  for  beauty,  the 
bamboo  is  peerless.  Many  years  ago  I  was  engaged  by 
the  Wizard  of  Menlo  Park  to  encircle  the  globe  and  to 
ransack  all  tropical  jungles  in  search  of  a  superior  fiber 
for  the  incandescent  light.  Equipped  with  a  full  set  of 
implements  for  drawing  out  and  carbonizing  fibers,  I 
spent  a  year  among  the  bamboos  of  India,  Ceylon,  Bur- 
mah,  Malay  Peninsula,  China  and  Japan.  That  was 
where  and  when  my  acquaintance  with  the  "  King  of 
the  Grasses  "  was  formed  and  my  pet-love  begotten.  I 
found  about  eighty  different  varieties  in  the  island  of 
Ceylon ;  about  sixty  scattered  over  Hindostan,  between 
Cape  Comorin  and  the  Himalayan  Range ;  something  like 
eighty  in  Burmah  and  the  Malayan  Peninsula;  nearly 
the  same  in  China  and  Japan.  You  may  see,  therefore, 
I  have  had  some  opportunities  to  become  familiar  with 
the  bamboo  and  can  assure  you  familiarity,  in  this  case, 
has  not  bred  contempt.  Those  who  have  not  seen  the 
bamboo  growing  in  its  native  climate  can  have  no  proper 
idea  of  its  matchless  grace  and  beauty. 

A  clump  of  this  magnificent  grass  will  spread  out  un- 
til it  becomes  a  grove.  The  average  bamboo  is  about 
fifty  feet  in  height  and  five  inches  in  diameter,  although 


T72  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  largest  species,  the  giant  bamboo  (bambusa  gigan- 
tia),  found  in  Burmah  and  Ceylon,  sometimes  reaches  a 
height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  with  a  diameter  of 
ten  to  fourteen  inches.  In  Ceylon  I  have  seen  clumps 
of  over  a  hundred  swaying  gracefully  in  the  breeze  and 
towering  skyward  to  a  great  height.  The  bamboos  be- 
fore us  are  not  in  clumps  as  they  naturally  grow.  This 
is  a  plantation  and  not  a  native  grove.  The  bamboo 
here  is  a  small  variety,  not  over  two  inches  in  diameter 
and  twenty  feet  in  height,  but  you  see  how  straight  and 
symmetrical  the  stalks  are;  how  the  whole  stem  is  di- 
vided into  joints  or  articulations,  separated  by  an  inter- 
node  or  knot;  this  is  nature's  ingenious  way  of  giving 
great  strength  to  a  light  and  slender  stalk.  The  septum, 
or  partition  at  the  joint,  extends  across  the  stalk  and  is 
impervious  to  air  and  water,  so  that  each  joint  can  be 
used  as  a  receptacle  for  many  purposes.  For  measures, 
from  a  gill  to  a  gallon  or  several  gallons,  one  has  only 
to  cut  a  joint  of  the  right  size  and  leng^.  After  the 
bamboo  is  a  few  years  old  it  blooms  and  dies  like  other 
grasses.  The  rapidity  of  its  growth  is  almost  incredible; 
sometimes  three  and  four  inches  in  a  single  day.  It  is 
said  that  its  growth  is  complete  in  one  year ;  in  confirma- 
tion of  this  a  tea-planter  in  Ceylon  showed  me  a  clump 
which  we  estimated  at  fully  seventy-five  feet  in  height, 
the  shoots  of  which  were  planted  only  eighteen  months 
previous.  Lateral  branches  spring  out  from  the  joints ; 
but  not  until  the  stalk  has  reached  its  full  height.  This 
is  another  wonderful  provision  of  nature,  since,  growing 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 73 

in  close  masses,  lateral  branches  could  not  develop  while 
a  young  shoot  is  growing  upward  among  old  stalks. 
When  the  tree  grows  older  a  curious  liquid  is  secreted  in 
those  hollow  joints,  which  forms  an  agreeable  beverage. 
If  this  liquid  is  allowed  to  remain  in  the  tree,  it  becomes 
a  concrete  substance  called  tahascheer,  which  is  highly 
valued  for  its  medicinal  properties.  This  substance,  after 
a  time,  loses  its  liquid  nature  and  is  found  to  contain 
silicious  earth,  which  resists  the  impression  of  all  acids 
and  with  alkalies  becomes  a  transparent  glass.  Many 
bamboos  absorb  from  the  soil  a  large  percentage  of 
silica ;  hence  the  strong  flinty  nature  of  its  fiber.  I  have 
frequently  seen  sparks  fly  from  my  ax  while  chopping 
them  down.  The  Buddhist  priests  prepare  a  medicine 
from  tahascheer,  which  cures  everything,  like  most  other 
medicines.  The  bamboo  shoot  comes  from  the  ground 
much  like  that  of  the  asparagus — the  sprouts  as  thick  as 
the  full-grown  tree;  when  six  or  eight  inches  above  the 
ground  it  is  edible  and  has  many  culinary  uses;  it  is 
boiled  as  a  vegetable ;  it  is  salted  and  eaten  with  rice ;  it 
makes  an  excellent  pickle ;  it  is  also  used  for  sweetmeats 
or  preserves;  a  decoction  made  from  the  leaves  is  used 
for  coughs.  Space  does  not  permit  me  to  mention  half 
of  its  medicinal  properties.  Being  a  grass,  its  leaves  are 
an  excellent  fodder  for  cattle.  It  is  recorded  in  Chinese 
history  that  its  seeds  have  preserved  the  lives  of  thou- 
sands. There  are  millions  of  Oriental  people  whose 
houses  are  built  altogether  of  it;  vessels  are  fitted  for 
sea,  entirely  of  bamboo ;  ropes  of  all  sizes  are  made  from 


174  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

it ;  I  have  seen  three-inch  cables  made  of  braided  strands 
of  bamboo.  Masts  of  ships  of  five  hundred  tons  are  buih 
up  of  many  stalks  bound  together.  Three  or  four  sec- 
tions of  large  bamboo  make  a  superior  catamaran,  the 
joints  being  water-tight.  In  the  Himalayan  Mountains 
I  have  seen  water  conducted  for  many  miles  from  springs 
and  lakes  to  the  plains  below  through  bamboos  used  as 
pipes,  the  small  end  of  one  connecting  with  the  large  end 
of  another,  the  joints  or  septa  being  removed.  The  roots 
are  carved  into  fantastic  images ;  the  leaves  are  used 
for  thatch ;  rain-coats  are  also  made  from  them  and  sold 
at  twenty  cents  each ;  the  wood,  when  cut  into  splints, 
is  sewed  into  window  curtains  and  door  screens  and 
plaited  into  awnings;  the  shavings  are  used  for  filling 
pillows.  Chairs,  tables  and  mattresses,  cooking  utensils, 
umbrellas,  fans,  chop-sticks,  bedsteads,  agricultural  im- 
plements, harness,  fishing-tackle,  baskets,  traps  of  every 
sort,  from  the  cricket  trap  to  the  tiger  trap,  are  made  of 
it.  Two  clumps  of  bamboo  will  furnish  the  entire  mate- 
rial for  a  comfortable  house  in  Southern  China,  at  a  cost 
of  five  dollars.  The  school-master  makes  h-.s  ferule  of  it ; 
it  is  the  universal  instrument  of  punishment ;  it  is  the 
peace-maker  in  the  family.  I  have  heard  an  old  Jersey 
woman  threaten  her  recalcitrant  progeny  with  a 
"  quince  sucker  " ;  I  have  heard  of  a  Crispin  government 
by  the  "  slipper  "  and  of  the  "  birch  "  persuasive ;  but  in 
China  the  "  bamboo  "  is  the  universal  court  of  appeal ; 
indeed,  it  may  be  considered  co-ordinate,  in  general  leg- 
islation, with  the  legislative  and  executive  powers  of  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 75 

empire.  It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  more  than  a  frac- 
tion of  the  many  uses  of  this  royal  reed ;  and  those  in  this 
small  plantation  give  little  idea  of  the  stately  beauty  of 
the  Giant  Bamboo,  rising  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  a 
veritable  arboreal  monarch,  overtopping  all  other  trees 
in  the  tropical  world,  and  surpassing  all  others,  both  in 
majesty  and  utility.  Our  two  dusky  companions  have 
listened  patiently  to  my  eulogy  of  their  inanimate  bene- 
factors and  I  will  not  detain  them  nor  you  longer.  We 
shall  hasten  to  board  a  steamer  for  Shanghai,  and  on  the 
following  morning  we  are  once  more  in  the  busy  streets 
of  the  European  Settlement. 


176  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 


THE   BOXER  UPRISING:  JOURNEY  TO  THE 
SEAT  OF  WAR. 

Even  before  we  set  out  on  our  itinerary  at  Hongkong, 
in  January,  a  slight  agitation  in  the  political  world  was 
caused  by  the  abdication  of  Emperor  Kwangsu.  Early 
in  the  following  May  an  uprising  in  the  northern  pro- 
vinces of  Shansi  and  Pichili  began  to  create  alarm.  Se- 
cret societies  were  organized,  or  rather,  orders  which 
had  had  a  long  previous  existence  were  revived.  Chief 
among  these  were  the  I-Ho-Chuan,  or,  "  Fist  of  Right- 
eous Harmony,"  and  the  Ta-Tao-Hui — "  Sword  Society." 
All  members  of  these  organizations  became  known  as 
Boxers,  which  is  a  free  interpretation  of  the  literal — 
"  Fist  of  Righteous  Harmony."  And  now  we  must 
change  our  field  of  observation  from  peaceful  aspects  of 
Chinese  life  to  that  latest  Chinese  crisis  widely  known 
as  the  Boxer  uprising.  During  the  time  we  have  been 
up  the  Yang-tse  many  stirring  events  have  transpired; 
seventy  native  Christians  have  been  massacred  at 
Paoting-fu.  On  May  29,  1900,  the  very  day  on  which 
we  started  from  Hankow  in  the  house-boat,  the  Boxers 
attacked  the  railway  station  near  Pekin  and  cut  off  com- 
munication with  Tien-tsin  and  the  outside  world.  The 
Ministers  at  Pekin  had  asked  for  a  dispatch  of  guards, 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 77 

and  four  hundred  and  fifty  had  arrived  on  the  4th  of 
June.  Boxers  were  reported  marching  on  Pekin.  On 
the  1 2th  of  June  an  additional  international  force,  two 
thousand  strong,  had  started  from  Tien-tsin  under  Ad- 
miral Seymour.  This  force  was  driven  back  with  three 
hundred  and  twelve  killed  or  wounded.  Tien-tsin  was 
surrounded  by  large  numbers.  The  different  nations 
were  hurriedly  preparing  to  dispatch  ships  and  troops 
to  the  scene  of  action.  These  were  the  exciting  mes- 
sages on  the  lips  of  every  one  when  we  returned  to 
Shanghai.  Next,  word  came  that  the  forts  at  Taku 
had  been  captured  with  a  loss  to  the  Chinese  of  four 
hundred,  and  of  twenty-one  to  the  fleet.  I  hurried  to  the 
post  for  mail  and  then  to  the  Consulate,  where  I  found 
awaiting  me  a  dispatch  directing  me  to  proceed  at  once 
to  Taku.  I  readily  understood  it  was  urgent  to  be  at 
once  at  the  front.  I  hastened  to  the  different  steamship 
offices,  and,  fortunately,  found  a  boat  which  was  to  sail 
for  Cheefoo  on  the  following  morning.  Two  and  a 
half  days  was  required  to  reach  that  port,  which  is  only 
about  twelve  hours  from  Taku  (see  map  of  Eastern 
China,  Map  No.  2). 

In  the  meantime,  permit  me  to  offer  some  opinions  on 
this  last  demonstration  of  agitators  in  China.  Notwith- 
standing all  that  has  been  said  and  written  about  Boxers 
and  the  Boxer  movement,  it  is  very  difficult  to  determine 
the  cause  and  object  of  this  uprising.  It  is  generally 
admitted,  as  I  have  elsewhere  stated,  that  the  Chinese 
are  a  docile  and  peace-loving  people,  and  yet,  social  agi- 


178  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

tations  are  not  infrequent,  and  the  great  Taiping  Re- 
bellion, in  which  over  twenty  million  lives  were  sacri- 
ficed, occurred  only  forty  years  ago.  An  old  proverb 
says :  "  Beware  of  the  wrath  of  the  patient  man."  The 
most  peace-loving  sometimes  become  rebellious,  and 
when  such  is  the  case  desperation  marks  the  conflict. 
It  will  scarcely  be  denied  that  want  sows  the  seeds  of 
revolution  and  rebellion,  and  when  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence becomes  general  and  prolonged,  suffering  human- 
ity will  organize  into  protective  unions,  or  into  I-Ho- 
Chuan  Societies.  China's  great  fertility  and  her  vast  ter- 
ritorial area  are  sometimes  insufficient  for  her  teeming 
millions,  especially  in  the  North,  where  whole  provinces 
are  often  famine-stricken  by  reason  of  flood  or  drought 
or  pestilence.  An  empty  stomach  does  not  make  for 
peace,  either  in  the  home  or  in  the  State.  The  Taiping 
Rebellion,  the  most  bloody,  disastrous  and  long-contin- 
ued that  has  occurred  in  China  in  modern  times,  was 
inaugurated  by  a  secret  organization  of  insurrectionaries 
with  the  usual  high-sounding  name,  Taipings,  which  sig- 
nifies "  grand  peace,"  with  the  ostensible  purpose  of  over- 
throwing the  Manchu  dynasty,  whose  corrupt  and  op- 
pressive administration  of  affairs  had  exhausted  the  pa- 
tience as  well  as  the  earnings  of  the  people ;  in  other 
words,  it  was  hunger  that  brought  about  that  bloody 
revolution.  Want  and  peace  cannot  dwell  together.  A 
few  years  ago  about  ten  millions  are  said  to  have  died 
of  starvation  in  the  northern  provinces  bordering  on  the 
Hoang  Ho,  a  river  which  has  been  called  "  China's  Sor- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 79 

row,"  because  of  the  loss  of  life  caused  by  flood,  famine 
and  pestilence.     This  same  poverty-stricken  region  has 
been  the  nursery  of  Boxers.     While,  then,  I  regard  stress 
of   environment  as  the  primal   cause  of  nearly  all  in- 
surrectionary uprisings,  the  immediate  causes  often  ap- 
pear to  be  something  quite  different  to  the  ignorant  and 
tmreasoning  insurgent.     The  Boxer,  in  his  struggle  for 
existence,  sees  the  cause  in  commercial  encroachments; 
he  sees  the  railway  driving  his  wheelbarrow  and  carry- 
pole  out  of  business ;  he  sees  the  steamboat  supplanting 
the  house-boat  and  the  sampan ;  he  sees  the  modern  car- 
riage and  bicycle  relegating  the  sedan  chair ;  he  sees  all 
kinds  of  machinery  interfering  with  his  manual  labor. 
His  Confucian  classics  never  taught  him  how  it  is  possi- 
ble for  a  missionary  to  do  a  benevolent  work.    He  looks 
upon  him  as  the  emissary  and  forerunner  of  foreign 
commercialism.    Altruism  is  not  in  the  Confucian  code. 
I  believe  that  any  of  us  with  a  mind  cast  in  the  same 
mould  and  with  the  same  training  for  generations,  would 
be  little,  if  any,  different.     An  illiterate  and  superstitious 
populace  will  never  discover  first  causes ;  struggle  and 
stress  of  circumstances,  then,  sets  the  Boxer  to  looking 
around  for  the  immediate  cause  of  his  ill  conditions ;  he 
may  turn  against  the  ruling  dynasty,  or  against  the  in- 
troduction of  railroads,  or  against  coercive  land-grabs, 
or  against  the  beneficent  hand  which  has  come  from  dis- 
tant lands  to  lift  him  into  better  conditions.    Then  there 
are  Boxer  leaders  and  Boxer  followers — the  more  intelli- 
gent and  the  ignorant  horde  who  will  play  the  Boxer 


l8o  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

for  plunder.  But  it  is  well  to  remind  ourselves  again 
that  after  all  human  nature  is  much  the  same  the  world 
over.  When  times  are  dull  and  distress  prevails,  a  popu- 
lar howl  goes  up  against  the  government  administra- 
tion, or  an  army  of  malcontents  marches  on  Washing- 
ton, or  a  wailing  and  lamentation  is  heard  about  unre- 
stricted immigration.  Western  countries  are  full  of  Box- 
ers;  but  efficient  military  forces  keep  them  in  check. 
It  has  always  been  so,  and  will  probably  always  remain 
so.  Throughout  all  nature  there  must  always  be  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  imperfection;  the  consequence  is  dis- 
tress ;  the  attempted  remedy  is  I-Ho-Chuan  Societies, 
under  many  different  names.  I  use  the  words  "  must 
always  be  "  advisedly ;  some  I  know  will  not  agree  with 
this ;  but  I  mean,  of  course,  until  the  millennial  days  when 
the  rose  shall  be  thornless  and  the  bee  shall  be  without 
sting  and  when  "  the  lamb  and  the  lion  shall  lie  down 
together."  Until  then  human  nature  will  continue  to 
be  human  nature,  or,  in  other  words,  there  shall  con- 
tinue to  be  "  wars  and  rumors  of  wars,"  and  Boxers  of 
many  sorts. 

As  I  entered  the  harbor  of  Cheefoo  (see  map  of  East- 
ern China,  Map  No.  2)  two  grim  men-of-war  anchored 
in  the  offing  emphasized  the  fact  to  me  that  I  was  near- 
ing  the  theater  of  impending  war.  Two  forts,  one  on 
either  side  of  the  city,  bristling  with  heavy  ordnance, 
command  the  harbor  and  the  town.  The  guns  of  the 
warships  and  those  of  the  forts  were  trained  one  on  the 
other.     Big  guns  are  always  grim  visaged,  but   when 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  l8l 

loaded  and  trained  on  an  enemy  there  is  mortal  gravity 
in  their  sullen  muzzles.  These  forts  are  on  high  bluffs, 
one  a  mile  east  and  the  other  about  the  same  distance 
west  of  the  city ;  with  glasses  all  the  movements  of  the 
men  at  the  forts  could  be  seen.  A  part  of  the  time  the 
guns  were  trained  on  the  European  settlement  and  at 
other  times  on  the  warships  in  the  roadstead.  On  go- 
ing ashore  I  found  the  Europeans  in  a  state  of  nervous 
anxiety  bordering  on  panic.  Cheefoo  is  a  large  city,  and 
while  no  overt  acts  of  hostility  had  thus  far  occurred, 
large  numbers  of  Boxers  were  reported  to  be  in  the  vi- 
cinity, and  the  most  trifling  affair  would  be  sufficient  to 
turn  the  treacherous  hordes  of  the  city  into  a  fiendish 
mob.  The  giant  English  cruiser  "  Terrible "  lay  at 
anchor  a  mile  off  shore,  with  her  decks  cleared  for  action 
and  her  monstrous  black  broadside  grim  with  venge- 
ful guns  trained  on  the  forts.  Several  hundred  marines 
were  held  in  readiness  to  land  at  the  shortest  notice. 
This  gave  a  slight  feeling  of  security;  yet  it  was  well 
known  that  the  forts  could  lay  waste  the  city  in  a  few 
hours.  We  will  ascend  a  hill  overlooking  the  harbor,  the 
settlement,  and  the  native  city.  This  eminence  is  some- 
times called  Consulate  Hill,  because  several  of  the  for- 
eign consulates  are  located  on  it.  On  this  hill  also  is 
the  signal-station  on  which  we  take  our  stand. 

43.    Cbeefoo,  One  of  China's  Important  Seaports,  from 
Signal  Tower,  I^ooking  :^ast. 

We   are  looking  slightly  south   of   east   toward   the 


l82  CHINA   THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

rocky,  barren  hills  which  encircle  the  bay  at  some  dis- 
tance. The  harbor  is  to  the  north,  that  is,  to  our  rig'ht. 
Those  hills  extend  on  the  left  to  the  sea  and  terminate 
in  a  promontory  on  which  is  located  one  of  the  forts 
mentioned.  Several  Europeans  have  their  homes  at  the 
foot  of  those  hills ;  you  can  faintly  distinguish  one  near 
the  center  of  our  field  of  vision  a  trifle  to  the  right.  The 
family  from  that  home  I  found  quartered  at  one  of  the 
hotels.  Fearing  an  attack  from  the  Boxers,  they  gath- 
ered a  few  more  valuable  articles  and  hastened  to  the 
security  of  the  settlement,  leaving  their  home  in  the  care 
of  native  servants.  The  Foreign  Concession  includes  all 
that  flat  land  lying  near  the  water,  and  the  French  Con- 
sulate lies  midway  between  the  little  English  church 
near  the  beach  and  the  farthest  limit  of  our  vision.  The 
first  building  on  this  side  of  the  small  church,  with 
shrubbery  in  front,  is  a  hotel ;  a  second  hotel  stands  next 
to  the  one  just  designated  and  on  the  opposite  side  of 
a  narrow  street  leading  out  to  the  beach  between  them. 
The  nearer  building  with  four  windows  in  a  line  toward 
us  is  the  Club  House,  before  which  on  the  beach  sev- 
eral modem  row-boats  are  drawn  out.  And  notice  those 
sampans  beyond ;  I  will  soon  tell  you  how  suddenly  those 
were  requisitioned.  The  English  Consulate  is  below  at 
our  left ;  the  American  and  German  behind  us.  We  are 
here  looking  southeast,  and  Taku  is  toward  the  north- 
west, and  nearly  half-way  between  us  and  Taku,  at  the 
time  I  was  here,  lay  the  U.  S.  battleship  "  Oregon  "  fast 
upon  the  rocks.    You  see  the  English  flag  on  the  yard 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 83 

of  the  signal-staff ;  this,  with  the  one  black  ball,  indicates 
the  movement  of  an  English  ship,  probably  the  arrival 
or  departure  of  a  warship.  Those  hotels  were  filled  with 
missionaries  and  other  refugees ;  bedding,  boxes  and 
bundles  filled  the  courts  of  the  hotels;  some  had  come 
from  stations  in  the  interior,  some  from  Tien-tsin,  others 
from  Pekin  by  the  last  train  before  the  railway  was  de- 
stroyed. They  were  all  fleeing  to  places  of  safety — 
some  were  awaiting  a  ship  for  Chemulpo  in  Corea,  some 
were  bound  for  Japan,  others  for  Shanghai  and  ports 
southward,  and  many  for  their  homes  in  Europe  and 
America.  There  were  all  kinds  and  orders  of  men,  wom- 
en and  children ;  there  were  arrivals  and  departures  of 
refugees  daily  and  hourly;  the  Consuls  were  busy,  each 
looking  after  his  own  people.  The  American  Consul 
had  chartered  a  ship  and  sent  it  to  bring  some  seventy- 
five  missionaries  from  a  remote  station.  Let  us  go  down 
and  see  them  land. 

44.    Missionary  Refugees   Fleeing  from,   the  Boxers, 
l/anding  at  Cbeefoo. 

The  missionaries  are  here  landing  from  sampans, 
carrying  their  children  and  portable  belongings ;  they 
lined  timidly  from  the  boats  to  the  hotels — a  matron 
leading  a  child,  a  father  carrying  a  babe,  a  band  of  coolies 
carrying  baggage,  a  man  with  a  tennis  set,  another 
mournfully  pushing  a  disabled  bicycle — all  with  the  same 
dual  expression  on  their  countenances,  that  of  long 
anxiety   and  final  deliverance.     I   was  surprised  to  see 


184  CHINA   THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

SO  many  children  among  the  missionaries,  but  my  sur- 
prise was  quite  moderated  when  I  learned  that  there  is 
a  premium  on  progeny  in  the  mission  fields;  and  that 
for  each  child  bom  an  annuity  is  added  to  the  income 
of  the  lucky  parents.  I  could  not  but  wish  that  this  be- 
nign principle  were  applied  to  other  vocations.  The  ship 
chartered  by  the  Consul  lies  out  at  anchor ;  some  are  land- 
ing here,  others  on  the  beach  near  the  hotels  we  saw  from 
our  last  position.  You  see  the  sun-hats  worn  by  the  mis- 
sionaries of  both  sexes.  Even  these  northern  points  in 
China  for  two  or  three  months  in  summer  are  intensely 
hot. 

To  be  prepared  for  an  unexpected  attack,  many  of  the 
Europeans  kept  sampans  in  readiness  by  which  they  could, 
on  a  moment's  warning,  make  for  the  warships.  Taku  is 
two  hundred  miles  distant,  and  all  merchant  ships  stop  at 
Cheefoo.  Yet  I  found  it  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  pas- 
sage to  the  former  place.  Warships  proceeded  only  to  the 
allied  fleet,  which  lay  ten  miles  off  shore  at  Taku.  Corre- 
spondents from  all  parts  were  arriving  and  hounding  con- 
suls and  naval  commanders  for  transportation  to  the 
front,  or  at  least  to  some  point  nearer  the  scene  of  activi- 
ties. War  conditions  were  everywhere  manifest ;  it  was 
every  one  for  himself;  no  reliable  information  could  be 
obtained  about  anything ;  all  kinds  of  rumors  were  afloat. 
Several  times  a  day  I  visited  all  the  shipping  offices  and 
the  consulates  seeking  for  transportation.  Europeans 
who  had  homes  in  the  vicinity  of  Cheefoo  moved  into  the 
settlement,     bringing     their    more    valuable    portables. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  185 

Every  one  sought  information,  but  could  fine  none ;  there 
was  a  perplexing  mystery  about  all  movements,  and  mys- 
tery always  increases  apprehension.  After  I  had  been  in 
Cheefoo  three  days,  this  apprehensiveness  reached  a 
climax.  Russian  agents  had  engaged  several  hundred 
coolies  to  work  on  the  Siberian  Railway ;  they  were  placed 
on  board  a  ship  for  transportation  to  Vladivostok  when 
some  misunderstanding  about  pay  arose ;  then  a  suspicion 
was  aroused  among  them  that  they  were  to  become  con- 
scripts for  military  service  in  the  Russian  army.  They 
left  the  ship  in  rage  and  consternation,  came  ashore  in 
sampans,  when  thousands  of  coolies  and  the  rabble  of  the 
city  gathered  around  them  until  the  streets  near  the  land- 
ing were  blocked  by  a  mob  of  many  thousands.  This  was 
at  once  construed  as  a  Boxer  uprising ;  the  people  of  the 
settlement  were  thrown  into  a  frenzy  of  terror;  women 
fled  to  the  small  boats  on  the  beach  and  were  soon  well  out 
toward  the  warships;  a  small  band  of  volunteers  which 
had  been  organized  for  protection  and  composed  of  clerks 
and  shopkeepers  instantly  donned  their  cartridge  belts, 
seized  their  guns  and  formed  across  the  street,  at  the  far- 
ther end  of  which  was  a  solid  mass  of  infuriated  coolies 
held  back  by  a  cordon  of  native  police.  Missionaries  with 
Winchesters  and  citizens  with  shot-guns  joined  the  volun- 
teers. Every  man's  face  showed  an  expression  of  fight 
"  to  the  death."  Messengers  had  been  sent  to  the  Taotai 
(mayor)  of  the  native  city  to  call  out  the  native  troops. 
He  soon  arrived  in  his  official  chair,  accompanied  by  his 
usual  retinue  of  subordinate  functionaries,  followed  by  a 


1 86  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

band  of  soldiers  armed,  not  with  their  guns,  but  with  bam- 
boo flagellators.  After  a  conference  between  the  Taotai 
and  the  European  officials,  the  former  harangued  the  mob, 
but  it  refused  to  disperse,  whereupon  he  ordered  the 
troops  to  charge  with  bamboos.  Then  followed  the  fun- 
niest onslaught  I  have  ever  seen.  It  was  a  spectacle  that 
was  suddenly  changed  from  impending  horror  to  the  irre- 
sistibly ludicrous ;  a  band  of  imperial  soldiers,  backed  by 
a  line  of  native  police,  rushed  upon  this  impenetrable 
mass  of  bareheaded  coolies,  pelting  heads  and  barebacks 
with  relentless  fury ;  the  cracks  of  the  bamboos  resounded 
through  the  streets ;  they  laid  on  heavy  and  fast ;  the  front 
lines  of  the  mob  took  the  brunt,  as  the  great  mass  was  too 
solid  to  be  quickly  moved.  Those  in  the  forefront  howled 
with  pain.  The  Taotai  sat  in  his  chair  and  urged  on  the 
attack;  the  vigorously  laid  on  strokes  rang  like  pistol 
shots ;  after  several  minutes  the  dense  black  crowd  began 
to  fall  asunder,  when  the  soldiers  could  better  distribute 
their  blows ;  soon  the  wilderness  of  black  heads  was  a  pell- 
mell  of  ignominious  flight,  and  what  might  have  proved  a 
bloody  uprising  was  averted.  The  small  plucky  band  of 
shopkeepers  and  missionaries  returned  to  their  several 
places  of  abode,  the  terrified  women  who  were  in  sampans 
off  shore  were  rowed  back,  and  the  consternation  gradu- 
ally subsided;  but  it  was  a  baptismal  scene  in  the  Boxer 
war  not  to  be  forgotten,  and  showed,  moreover,  the 
magical  efficacy  of  the  bamboo  as  an  arbitrator.  After 
five  days  a  German  merchant  ship  arrived,  bound  for 
Taku ;     I    secured   passage   and   on   the    following   day 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  187 

reached  the  naval  fleet  lying  ten  miles  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Pei-ho,  in  the  bay  of  Pichili. 

It  was  a  magnificent  array  of  warships  and  capable  of 
inflicting  punishment  upon  the  Boxers  if  they  could  have 
been  placed  within  range.  Our  ship  anchored  with  the 
fleet  over  night ;  on  the  following  morning  we  entered  the 
mouth  of  the  river  amidst  the  ships  and  forts  whose  deadly 
conflicts  only  a  few  days  before  had  sent  a  thrill  of  horror 
over  the  civilized  world.  We  landed  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Pei-ho,  proceeded  a  few  hundred  yards  back  from 
the  river,  and  ascended  a  pilot  tower,  from  which  we  ob- 
tained a  panoramic  view  in  the  very  center  of  the  scene  of 
action  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  Taku  forts. 

Turn  with  me  now  to  Map  No.  6.  This  map  gives  us  a 
sketch  of  the  Pei-ho  River  from  the  Pichili  Bay  to  a  point 
about  six  miles  inland,  including  the  sites  of  the  forts  at 
Taku  and  the  town  of  Tongku.  Find  the  number  45  in 
red,  inclosed  in  a  circle,  and  the  two  red  lines  which 
branch  from  this  circle  toward  the  north.  We  are  to 
stand  at  the  point  from  which  these  lines  start,  and  shall 
look  out  over  the  territory  the  lines  inclose. 

45.    From  Pilot's   Tower,  I^ooking  North   across    the 
Pei-ho  River  to  Northwest  Port,  Taku. 

From  where  we  stand  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  open 
bay  is  but  a  short  distance  to  our  right.  On  both  sides  of 
the  river,  at  its  mouth,  are  mud  forts  similar  to  the  one  we 
see  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  latter  is  known 
as  the  Northwest  Fort.     It  is  the  one  which  was  nearest 


1 88  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

to  the  warships  which  are  anchored  in  the  river  some  dis- 
tance toward  the  left.  It  is  the  one  first  attacked  and  cap- 
tured by  a  mixed  force  from  the  combined  fleet.  Almost 
directly  behind  us  are  several  other  forts,  little  more  than 
a  half  mile  distant;  these,  with  the  North  Fort  and  the 
Northwest  Fort  before  us,  at  one  o'clock  on  Sunday 
morning  on  June  17,  1900,  opened  fire  with  all  their  guns 
on  the  small  warships  which  were  lying  in  that  narrow 
stream  off  to  the  left.  The  contest  was  hot,  but  of  short 
duration,  as  by  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  two  of  the  forts 
had  been  blown  up  and  all  the  others  carried  by  assault. 
The  particulars  of  that  battle  are  familiar  to  every  one,  but 
no  written  description  can  ever  convey  to  you  so  vivid  an 
idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  now  famous  mud  forts  at 
Taku,  the  river,  and  the  surrounding  country,  as  this  op- 
portunity to  view  them  for  yourself.  You  see  the  level 
mud  flats  extending  to  the  horizon ;  the  view  is  the  same 
in  every  direction,  except  toward  the  sea.  Now  you  can 
tell  exactly  how  those  forts  appear;  you  can  even  distin- 
guish the  patches  of  clay  detached  by  the  impact  of  shell. 
You  can  almost  see  the  guns  on  the  wall ;  you  can  see  the 
flag-poles  and  flags ;  indeed,  that  near  pole  is  not  only  a 
flag-pole,  it  is  also  used  for  sending  dispatches  to  the  fleet 
by  wireless  telegraphy.  These  mud  forts  are  not  so  crude 
and  defenseless  as  many  are  led  to  suppose  from  the  term 
mud.  They  consist  of  vast  masses  of  well-put-up  clay, 
which  offers  more  effective  resistance  to  shell  than  solid 
masonry ;  but  how  they  are  built,  and  how  mounted  with 
the  most  improved  ordnance,  you  will  see  better  when  we 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  189 

take  our  next  position  on  the  top  of  the  wall  of  the  North- 
west Fort,  at  the  left-hand  comer,  in  line  with  that  war- 
ship. From  that  position  we  shall  look  down  the  river 
toward  its  month  and  the  North  Fort.  Let  me  call  your 
attention  briefly  to  the  buildings  near  us,  that  you  may 
know  how  the  houses  in  Taku  are  built,  and  not  only  in 
Taku,  but  throughout  the  whole  valley  of  the  Pei-ho  to 
Pekin — I  mean  of  mud,  though  what  you  see  here  are 
well-made  houses  and  occupied  by  Europeans.  The  two 
buildings  at  our  feet  are  portions  of  the  T^aku  Hotel, 
which  I  occupied  on  three  different  occasions.  The  near 
building  on  the  left  is  the  dining-room  of  the  hotel.  These 
so-called  mudhouses  have  walls  and  roof  built  up  of  bun- 
dles of  reeds  coated  with  the  universal  clay  of  these  allu- 
vial plains.  The  countless  villages  and  towns  scattered 
over  these  vast  northern  tracts  are  constructed  largely  of 
mud  or  clay ;  they  have  a  miserable  appearance,  but  they 
are  warm  and  inexpensive.  A  mudhouse  to  accommodate 
a  small  family  does  not  cost  half  the  sum  required  to  build 
a  well-to-do  farmer's  pighouse  in  Western  countries. 
This  part  of  Taku  is  known  as  Pilot-T.own,  because  it  is 
the  home  of  many  pilots  whose  services  are  in  great  de- 
mand on  account  of  the  difficulties  in  navigating  the  shal- 
low and  tortuous  river.  Our  position  here  is  on  the  top 
of  a  pilot's  lookout ;  you  may  see  another  lookout  beyond 
the  line  of  buildings  on  our  left.  Some  small  dry-docks 
are  located  here;  also  repair  shops  that  give  employment 
to  a  few  Europeans.  Before  leaving  this  pilot's  lookout, 
I  must  call  your  attention  to  a  causeway  which  begins  at 


IpO  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  right-hand  side  of  that  Northwest  Fort ;  it  extends  to 
the  North  Fort  on  the  same  side  of  the  river  and  which 
we  can  see  better  from  our  next  position. 

Now  we  are  to  descend,  cross  the  river  in  a  sampan 
and  enter  that  Northwest  Fort  at  the  gateway  at  the 
southeast  angle ;  we  shall  ascend  the  wall  at  the  southwest 
angle  and  stand  beside  a  modern  gun  which  did  its  share 
of  damage  to  the  fleet  of  the  allies  and  still  remains  intact. 

On  the  map  of  Taku  our  position  is  given  by  the  red 
lines  which  branch  toward  the  southeast  from  the  encir- 
cled number  46. 

46.    I^ooking  down  the  Pei-ho  River  toward  the  North 
Fort  and  Bay,  from  Northwest  Fort,  Takn. 

How  many  things  you  may  learn  from  this  one  pros- 
pect !  Again  you  can  see  the  character  of  the  surround- 
ing country;  you  can  see  the  bay  of  Pichili  and  almost 
descry  some  of  the  nearer  ships  of  the  fleet  ten  miles  away. 
In  that  stretch  of  water,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  lies 
the  great  obstruction  to  ships  entering  the  river ;  I  mean  a 
sand-bar  lying  only  a  mile  or  two  out  from  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  and  on  which  often  may  be  seen  several  ships 
entrapped  by  low  water  and  awaiting  high  tide.  You  can 
see  shipping  on  the  river,  the  width  of  the  Pei-ho,  and 
almost  the  muddy  character  of  the  water ;  you  can  see  the 
North  Fort  with  the  flag  of  the  victor  flying  over  it ;  you 
can  see  the  long  causeway,  leading  from  the  fort  on  which 
we  stand  to  the  North  Fort.  Along  that  causeway  the 
attacking  allies  advanced  from  this  Northwest  Fort.     You 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  191 

can  see  how  exposed  they  were;  they  could  not  advance 
over  the  level  ground  in  open  order,  as  it  is  covered  with 
mud  and  water  so  that  the  daring  sally  was  made  in  close 
order  over  that  long  distance.  The  causeway  was  a  little 
Thermopylae.  This  sentinel  told  me  that  a  handful  of  old 
women  (Western)  in  yonder  fort  with  the  guns  trained  on 
the  causeway  could  have  held  it  against  ten  thousand  men ; 
but  John  Chinaman  is  no  warrior.  These  have  been 
called  mud-forts.  The  term  mud  always  conveys  a  sig- 
nificance of  meanness  which  naturally  leads  one  to  con- 
sider them  as  crude  heaps  of  dirt ;  now  that  we  see  them, 
we  find  they  are  well-built  forts  with  bastions,  ramparts, 
moat  and  armament  which  probably  could  be  tagged 
"  made  in  Germany."  That  long  breech-loading  rifle  was 
not  made  in  China;  that  steel  shield  for  protecting  the 
gunners  is  up  to  date.  It  will  protect  the  gunner  from 
rifle  shot,  but  not  from  larger  projectiles.  The  shield  of 
the  gun  next  to  this,  on  our  left,  was  penetrated  by  a 
three-inch  shell,  and  the  brains  and  blood  of  the  gunner 
remained  spattered  on  the  breach  of  the  gun.  This  guard 
you  see  to  our  right,  neatly  dressed  in  white  with  his  Lee- 
Metford  rifle  at  his  side,  is  a  British  Marine.  A  few 
English  and  a  few  Italians  are  left  to  guard  this  fort, 
while  the  other  forts  are  held  by  guards  from  other  allies. 
I  must  remind  you  that  Taku  is  not  a  stopping  place 
for  travellers;  it  is  little  more  than  a  pilot  station.  All 
steamers  with  cargo  and  passengers  for  Tien-tsin  and 
Pekin  proceed  five  miles  beyond  Taku  to  Tongku.  We 
shall  now  follow  the  narrow,  winding  Pei-ho  to  the  latter 


192  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

place  and  from  the  deck  of  our  steamer  at  the  landing  look 
out  upon  the  ravages  of  war.  On  the  Map  No.  6  we  find 
our  position  given  by  the  red  lines  connected  with  the 
number  47. 

47.  Burning  of  Tongkn—U.  S.  S.  "Monocacy"  at 
I^anding  with  Hole  through  Bow  made  by  Chi- 
nese Shell. 

This  scene  shows  Tongku  a  few  days  after  the  capture 
of  the  forts  at  Taku.  The  relief  expedition  under  Ad- 
miral Seymour  had  failed  to  reach  Pekin,  and  after  great 
loss  and  privation  had  returned  to  Tien-tsin.  It  was 
supposed  by  every  one  that  all  within  the  legations  had 
been  massacred.  The  war  was  on,  and  every  nation  was 
rushing  forward  troops  with  all  the  hurried  bustle  of  des- 
peration. I  reached  this  place  on  the  Fourth  of  July ;  you 
see  the  flags  out  on  the  "  Monocacy."  Notwithstanding 
the  gloomy  news  from  every  quarter,  every  foreign  war- 
ship flung  out  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  honor  of  the  Ameri- 
can nation's  birthday.  T.here  was  no  jubilant  popping  of 
firecrackers,  which  we  are  wont  to  hear  on  this  festal  day, 
but  there  was  the  crackling  of  destructive  flames  which 
were  everywhere  devouring  the  vacated  homes  of  the  ter- 
rified inhabitants.  On  the  following  day,  news  came  that 
the  relieving  force  which  had  been  dispatched  to  Tien-tsin 
had  been  driven  back  and  might  have  to  retreat  to  the  sea- 
coast.  There  were  encampments  of  French  soldiers,  Rus- 
sian soldiers  and  Japanese  soldiers.  Army  stores  were 
heaped  up  in  every  space  near  the  docks.     The  crippled 


China  tHRouGii  the  stereoscope.  193 

ships  which  had  been  in  conflict  at  Taku  were  strung 
along  the  river  in  different  stages  of  convalescence. 
Refugees  were  hourly  arriving  from  Tien-tsin ;  some,  find- 
ing passage  in  departing  steamers,  while  others  found 
temporary  shelter  on  the  "  Monocacy."  At  low  tide  the 
opposite  shore  is  lined  with  bloated  human  forms  which 
have  floated  down  from  villages  up  the  river  where  the 
Boxers  have  done  their  bloody  work  or  where  the  Russian 
relief  force  slaughtered  everything  before  it  on  its  march 
to  Tien-tsin. 

This  town  was  rapidly  becoming  the  rendezvous  of  the 
armies  of  the  world ;  it  was  universal  chaos  come  again, 

"  And  there  was  mounting  in  hot  haste ;  the  steed, 
The  mustering  squadron,  and  the  clattering  car 
Went  pouring  forward  with  impetuous  speed, 
And  swiftly  forming  in  the  ranks  of  war." 

Every  one  felt  that  the  fleet-winged  hours  were  clipping 
life  threads  at  Pekin.  The  difficulty  was  now  to  reach 
Tien-tsin  and,  in  the  meantime,  to  find  a  lodging  place  at 
Tongku.  All  railway  communication  was  cut  off,  and  the 
military  at  Tien-tsin  were  driving  civilians  away,  and  no 
hotel  or  lodging  place  could  be  found  in  Tpngku.  Dur- 
ing the  first  night  I  was  permitted  to  sleep  on  board 
the  boat  on  which  I  had  arrived.  On  the  second 
day  I  asked  for  permission  to  sleep  on  the  bare  deck  of 
the  "  Monocacy,"  but  my  modest  request  was  roughly  re- 
fused by  the  Captain,  who,  with  the  officious  conse- 
quence of  a  man  commanding  nothing  better  than  an  old- 


194  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

fashioned  side-wheel  tub  that  had  been  thirty  years  poking 
her  prow  into  the  mud  banks  along  the  Yang-tse,  said  he 
was  reserving  all  space  for  missionaries.  Accompanied 
by  a  young  Swiss  gentleman,  I  trudged  several  times  the 
length  of  the  slough-bound  town  to  obtain  only  space  in 
which  to  sleep  for  one  night,  hoping  the  following  day  to 
find  some  way  of  reaching  Tien-tsin.  Fortunately  we  fell 
in  with  a  Russian  officer,  who,  learning  of  our  straits  for  a 
lodging  place,  in  the  blandest  and  most  hospitable  manner 
told  us  to  follow  him  to  the  railway  station  and  he  would 
find  us  a  room  where  he  and  his  fellow  officers  were  tem- 
porarily quartered.  A  Russian  servant  was  turned  out 
of  a  small  hot  room  which  was  furnished  with  two  small 
benches ;  on  these  we  slept,  each  wrapping  his  coat  about 
his  head  as  a  protection  against  myriads  of  flies — army 
flies,  I  suppose.  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  entertain 
very  high  opinions  of  Russian  gentility  and  politeness, 
while  my  opinions  of  the  government  are  quite  otherwise. 
The  charming  manner  of  a  Russian  gentleman  is  re- 
marked by  every  one ;  and  if  there  is  one  fault  more  con- 
spicuous than  another  in  our  own  country,  I  should  name 
it  national  lack  of  courtesy.  We  made  a  slender  morning 
repast  from  articles  we  bought  from  the  steward  of  the 
German  ship,  and  then  I  left  my  companion  and  set  out  to 
find  transportation  to  Tien-tsin. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 95 


TIEN-TSIN. 

After  wandering  about  Tongku  for  some  time  I 
heard  of  a  tug  bound  for  Tien-tsin.  I  went  on  board, 
and  a  soldier  in  command  said  he  was  neither  authorized 
to  carry  nor  to  refuse  to  carry  any  one.  "  Tien-tsin  is  the 
best  place  I  know  of  to  leave,  just  now;  but  go  if  you 
like,"  said  the  blunt  commander  of  the  little  commissary 
craft.  "  Yesterday  it  was  nip  and  tuck  all  day,  and  the 
Allies  may  be  driven  down  here  to-day,  but  if  you  are 
fond  of  shells  bursting  in  your  hair,  go."  "  Well,  I've 
never  experienced  shells  in  that  way,"  I  replied,  "  but,  as 
the  Chinamen  say,  I  will  have  a  '  look  see.'  "  While  the 
distance  by  rail  is  only  some  twenty-eight  miles,  it  is  forty 
by  the  winding  course  of  the  Pei-ho.  The  voyage  occu- 
pied a  good  part  of  the  day.  Many  mud  villages  were 
passed  on  the  way,  from  most  of  which  the  inhabitants 
had  fled  back  into  the  country.  We  were  constantly  pass- 
ing dead  bodies  floating  down,  and,  on  either  bank  of  the 
river,  at  every  turn,  hungry  dogs  from  the  deserted  vil- 
lages could  be  seen  tearing  at  the  swollen  corpses  left  on 
the  banks  by  the  ebb  tide.  It  was  forty  miles  of  country 
laid  waste,  deserted  homes,  burned  villages,  along  a  river 
polluted  and  malodorous  with  human  putrefaction.  At 
last  I  was  in  Tien-tsin.  It  was  on  the  5th  of  July.  Our 
national  holiday  I  had  celebrated  under  most  unusual  con- 


196  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

ditions  at  Tongku.  The  fifth  presented  a  weird  prosce- 
nium in  the  theater  of  war.  The  city  had  been  reinvested ; 
the  previous  day  had  witnessed  a  stubbornly  contested 
attack  at  the  railway  station.  Everywhere  were  to  be 
seen  dreadful  scenes  of  desolation.  Conflagration  had 
already  laid  waste  the  entire  French  Concession  and  a 
good  part  of  the  English;  housetops  were  covered  with 
extemporized  defenses;  storehouses  had  been  employed 
to  provide  defensive  barricades;  bales  of  wool,  bags  of 
peanuts,  sacks  of  licorice-root  and  sacks  of  rice,  in  enor- 
mous quantities,  had  been  utilized  for  breastworks. 
Smoke  was  curling  up  everywhere  from  smoldering  ruins. 
Scarcely  had  I  got  my  luggage  ashore  before  shells  came 
crashing  over  the  settlement.  Three  of  the  four  hotels 
had  been  destroyed;  the  one  remaining  was  occupied  by 
the  military.  I  found  an  empty  room  in  a  vacated  Chi- 
nese compound,  where  I  made  my  bivouac  until  driven 
out.  After  putting  my  pre-empted  space  into  habitable 
conditions,  I  set  out  to  reconnoiter  war  environments. 

Just  before  we  start  on  our  tour  of  exploration,  we 
must  get  a  general  idea  of  the  plan  of  the  city.  Spread 
out  the  map  of  Tien-tsin,  Map  No.  7.  Near  the  center  of 
the  map  we  see  the  rectangular  outline  of  the  Native  City, 
the  heavier  black  line  showing  the  course  of  its  encom- 
passing brick  wall.  Many  native  villages  are  grouped 
around  this  inner  city.  The  Pei-ho  River  winds  among 
the  outlying  villages  in  a  general  course  from  the  north- 
west toward  the  southeast.  The  Japanese,  French,  Brit- 
ish and  German  Concessions  lie  to  the  southeast  of  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  1 97 

Native  City  on  the  river's  right  bank ;  the  proposed  Rus- 
sian Concession  is  on  the  left  bank.  An  earth  or  mud 
wall  encircles  the  entire  area  covered  by  the  old  city,  the 
villages  and  the  Foreign  Concessions.  The  course  of  the 
railroad  which  connects  Taku  and  Pekin  is  seen  to  the 
east  of  the  river.  By  much  effort  I  had  made  my  way  up 
the  Pei-ho  to  a  point  near  that  first  bend  toward  the  left, 
or  west.  One  of  the  first  places  we  shall  visit  together  is 
the  pontoon  bridge  made  by  the  French  opposite  the 
French  Concession.  We  are  to  stand  as  the  red  lines  con- 
nected with  the  number  48  show,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  and  look  toward  a  street  and  range  of  buildings  on 
the  opposite  bank,  a  part  of  the  French  Concession. 

48.  Horrors  of  War— Dead  Chinese  fLoating  in  the 
Pei-bo,  showing  riddled  Buildings  along  the 
French  Bund^  Tien-tsin. 

Many  talk  of  the  horrors  of  war  who  know  little  of 
their  actualities,  and  for  that  reason  such  a  scene  as  this, 
though  it  is  repulsive,  is  also  educative;  for,  to  know 
truly,  you  must  see,  and  even  this  repellent  scene  is  but  a 
slight  hint  of  war's  horrors.  For  ten  days  before  I  came 
here,  dead  bodies,  in  incredible  numbers,  had  been  float- 
ing down  the  river,  and,  several  times  a  day  coolies  were 
sent  to  this  place  with  poles  to  set  free  the  accumulation 
of  bodies  and  allow  them  to  float  down  stream.  At  this 
moment,  you  see,  there  are  only  four  or  five  in  view,  but 
at  other  times  there  are  large  numbers,  especially  in  the 
morning,  after  a  night's  accumulation.    At  times  I  have 


198  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

seen  heads  and  headless  trunks  in  this  flotsam  of  war. 
Many  of  these  dead  have  been  killed  by  the  relief  troop 
who  first  entered  Tien-tsin ;  others,  by  the  second  advance 
of  reenforcements,  and  many,  previously,  by  the  Boxers 
and  were  probably  Christian  converts.  Doubtless  a  con- 
siderable number  also  are  suicides,  for  the  Chinese  have 
a  penchant  for  suicide  at  such  times. 

This  part  of  the  city,  lying  between  the  railway  station 
and  the  French  Concession,  was  the  center  of  the  heaviest 
firing  on  several  occasions,  and  every  building  is  glutted 
by  fire  or  riddled  with  shot.  We  are  looking  nearly 
south ;  the  railway  station  is  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
behind  us  and  is  surrounded  by  a  suburban  population. 
The  shattered  windows  and  pierced  walls  everywhere  tell 
how  the  showers  of  shot  swept  everything  at  this  point. 
You  see  the  shell  mementoes  on  this  building  at  the  right ; 
there  are  other  buildings  along  this  Bund  even  more  thor- 
oughly scarred  than  those.  Many  of  the  trees  that  line 
the  side  of  the  street  have  been  shot  through  until  they 
toppled  over.  The  cross  streets  that  terminate  here,  are 
barricaded  for  a  mile  or  over  along  this  Bund.  The  only 
water  supply  for  troops  and  citizens  is  before  you.  Mili- 
tary orders  were  given  that  no  water  should  be  used  un- 
less boiled ;  but  the  order  was  often  disregarded.  Soldiers 
frequently  have  little  regard  for  sanitary  orders  or  law, 
and  have  a  happy  way  of  turning  privations  and  hard- 
ships into  fun.  After  all,  we  have  here  only  a  hint  of 
war's  destructioti  and  sacrifice.  These  poor  fellows  will, 
in  their  turn,  float  down  the  river  to  feed  the  starving 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  199 

dogs  of  the  river-side  villages,  and  yet,  they  are  some- 
body's dear  ones,  and  none  will  ever  know  how  many 
thousands  have  been  thus  borne  away  uncoffined  on  the 
turbid  waters  of  the  Pei-ho. 

We  will  leave  this  grewsome  scene,  pass  out  upon  the 
Bund,  and  turning  to  the  left,  follow  it  for  a  mile  down- 
stream to  a  point  in  the  river  where  small  boats  depart 
for  Tongku.  I  wish  I  could  show  you  all  the  scenes  we 
pass  in  that  mile  along  the  Bund.  At  this  time  a  walk 
along  this  street  on  the  river  is  a  perilous  undertaking — 
"  sniping  "  is  constantly  going  on  and  there  is  scarcely 
a  minute  when  one  cannot  hear  the  ominous  hiss  of  pass- 
ing bullets.  Once  I  stood  talking  with  a  soldier,  only  for 
a  few  moments,  when  he  ejaculated :  "  Come  out  of  this ! 
Didn't  you  hear  that  bullet  come  between  us  ?  "  We  were 
not  more  than  three  feet  apart.  We  concluded  our  confab 
behind  a  wall.  At  length  we  arrive  at  the  place  where 
barges  have  been  brought  in  to  convey  native  Christian 
refugees  to  Tongku  and  other  places  of  safety.  In  watch- 
ing them  embark  we  shall  stand  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
river  and  look  east.  See  red  lines  connected  with  the 
number  49  on  the  map. 

4Q.    Native  Christians  Fleeing  from,  the  Boxers— Chi- 
nese Refugees  being  taken  away  from  Tien-tsin. 

It  is  evident  from  the  flight  of  these  poor  native  Chris- 
tians that  there  is  still  no  security  for  life  here  in  Tien- 
tsin ;  even  after  the  arrival  of  ten  thousand  foreign  troops, 
a  feeling  of  anxiety  and  uncertainty  prevails.    All  indica- 


200  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

tions  are  that  additions  of  both  Boxers  and  Imperial 
soldiers  are  daily  being  brought  into  the  native  city.  We 
see  before  us  only  a  handful  of  native  Christians,  many 
women  and  children  among  them,  with  coolies  to  assist 
in  carrying  a  few  bundles  which  contain  all  they  have  left 
of  material  possessions.  There  is  a  vast  crowd  on  the 
shore  to  our  right.  The  order  has  been  given  to  go 
aboard,  and  these  are  the  first  of  the  line  from  an  assem- 
blage that  will  pack  that  big  iron  barge;  and  thus  they 
have  been  leaving  since  the  river  was  cleared  for  the  pas- 
sage of  boats.  What  sad  stories  these  forsaken,  destitute 
refugees  could  tell !  They  go  they  know  not  where ;  they 
know  not  whether  they  will  ever  return ;  their  homes  are 
burned ;  their  friends  are  scattered  and  many  of  them 
killed.  You  see  British  officers  on  board  and  British  ma- 
rines here  and  there  assisting  with  embarkation.  These 
refugees  are  from  the  English  missions.  Other  missions 
have  their  flocks  of  the  helpless  and  homeless  to  look 
after.  Hundreds  of  little  children  are  here  who  cannot 
understand  what  it  all  means.  Their  mothers  can  only 
tell  them  that  their  own  bad  people  have  burned  their 
homes  and  now  seek  to  kill  them,  but  the  foreigner  will 
save  them;  this  is  all  they  can  be  made  to  understand; 
they  have  curious  little  child-thoughts  of  their  own  about 
it  all,  but  with  undiminished  faith  in  maternal  guardian- 
ship, they  cling  to  their  mother's  hand,  tmconscious  of 
their  hapless  fate. 

All  refugees  did  not  flee  from  Tien-tsin.  It  was  not  pos- 
sible for  all  to  find  means  of  flight.    We  will  leave  these 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  20I 

fleeing  refugees  now  and  retrace  our  steps  over  half  a  mile 
along  the  river  bank  to  the  Church  of  the  Apostolic  Mis- 
sion, where  there  are  assembled  and  fed  between  five  and 
six  hundred  refugees.    See  number  50  in  red  on  the  map. 

so.  Chinese  Christian  Refugees  gathered  by  Father 
Quilloux  into  the  Apostolic  Mission  during  the 
Bombardment  of  Tien-tsin. 

This  church  is  situated  on  the  boundary  between  the 
English  and  French  Concessions,  and  escaped,  in  quite  an 
extraordinary  way,  destruction  from  both  fire  and  shell, 
although  in  the  direct  line  of  bombardment.  It  is  a 
French  Catholic  Church  and  Mission,  at  the  head  of  which 
is  the  Rev.  C.  M.  Quilloux.  Soon  after  my  arrival  in 
Tien-tsin  I  met  this  worthy  father,  who  told  me  how  large 
a  flock  he  was  sheltering  and  feeding  in  the  basements  and 
cellars  of  his  church  and  other  church  buildings.  I  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  obtain  a  stereograph  of  his  multitu- 
dinous wards  during  such  a  crisis.  He  said  if  I  would 
come  on  the  following  day,  he  would  do  what  he  could 
to  induce  his  terrified  flock  to  leave  the  cellars  and  come 
out  into  the  court  for  a  few  minutes,  but  I  must  be  in 
readiness  to  operate  quickly  and  not  expose  them  too  long 
to  the  bursting  shells.  They  were  all  notified  to  be  in 
readiness  at  a  given  hour,  and  when  I  had  taken  my  posi- 
tion, Father  Quilloux  and  another  father  led  the  way  out 
into  the  open  yard,  followed  by  this  cowering  host — men, 
women  and  children — young  and  old.  Scarcely  had  they 
assembled  when  a  shell  burst  overhead  with  the  crash  of  a 


202  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

near  thunderbolt ;  they  ducked  and  trembled  and  began  to 
show  an  agony  of  impatience,  when  Father  Quilloux 
called  out  from  his  position  in  front :  "  Be  quick !  They 
are  afraid !  "  The  work  was  done  hastily,  and  it  did  not 
seem  that  the  whole  time  occupied  could  exceed  three 
minutes,  and  yet  three  shells  exploded  very  near  during 
that  brief  space.  You  may  notice  all  conditions  of  people 
in  this  gathering;  on  the  left,  near  the  front,  are  three 
small  children  carried  in  arms;  further  back,  on  the  left, 
I  see  two  gray  heads ;  on  the  right,  in  front,  some  fairly 
pretty  girls.  I  asked  Father  Quilloux  to  place  the  women 
in  front,  I  suppose,  because  they  are  more  picturesque. 
He  told  me  he  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  sufficient  food 
for  so  many  people.  They  subsisted  almost  entirely  on  a 
small  allowance  of  rice.  Up  to  that  time  only  a  few  had 
died.  He  pointed  out  to  me  a  fresh  grave,  near  us  on 
the  left,  where  on  the  previous  day  he  had  buried  one  of 
them.  These  were  days  that  tried  the  faith  and  courage 
of  men  and  these  faithful  fathers  did  not  forsake  their 
flocks. 

What  you  have  already  seen  must  give  you  some  inti- 
mation of  the  condition  of  Tien-tsin  when  I  arrived.  A 
hundred  sights  in  Tien-tsin  alone  would  give  you  a  fuller 
conception,  but  even  the  greatest  number  could  not  tell 
you  all.  It  is  impossible  to  picture  the  apprehension  of 
faces  on  the  street — the  roar  of  bursting  shells  and 
deadly  smaller  missiles  that  filled  the  air.  Subterranean 
housekeepers  cannot  be  "  sculptured  by  the  sun  "  nor  can 
pale,  fear-stricken  faces  peering  out  of  cellar  windows; 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  203 

nor  the  measured  tread  of  soldiers  at  all  hours  of  day  and 
night;  nor  the  thrilling  bugle-calls  in  every  direction. 
Just  across  the  way,  too,  is  a  full  hospital,  and  the  still- 
ness about  it  is  solemn  and  awe-inspiring.  These  things 
cannot  be  portrayed  by  any  cunning  of  the  camera.  The 
number  of  troops  is  daily  increasing.  The  transportation 
of  commissary  stores  for  all  the  different  troops  fills  the 
streets  with  every  form  of  nondescript  conveyance — army 
wagons,  carts,  "  rikishas,"  wheelbarrows,  pole-coolies, 
confiscated  carriages.  A  few  European  women  were  still 
left  in  the  Concession.  At  one  time,  when  the  fire  from 
the  enemy  was  becoming  stronger  and  the  rout  of  the 
Allies  was  imminent,  a  weeping  and  disconsolate  little 
English  mother  came  running  across  the  street  to  a  near 
neighbor  with  this  pitiful  and  tragic  request :    "  Now,  Mr. 

,  won't  you  promise  to  shoot  my  children  if  they 

get  in  ?  "  "  No,  I'll  be  d d  if  I  will !  "  replied  the  neigh- 
bor. This  horrible  request  was  prompted  by  maternal 
love;  its  fulfillment  would  have  been  humane,  in  com- 
parison with  an  assured  butchery  by  the  enemy ;  but,  come 
what  would,  the  manly  neighbor  could  not,  even  in  the 
name  of  humanity,  promise  to  take  the  lives  of  sweet  little 
children  with  whom  he  had  been  wont  to  play. 

From  here  I  went  south  again  into  the  British  Conces- 
sion to  the  public  water  hydrant,  where  the  soldiers  of  the 
Allies  and  the  natives  mingled.  See  the  red  lines  con- 
nected with  the  number  51,  a  short  distance  to  the  left  of 
our  former  position  by  the  river  (Stereograph  49). 


204  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

51.  Strange  Medley  from  many  Nations  at  the  Pablic 
Water  Hydrant  during  Foreign  Occupation  of 
Tien-tsin. 

Water  is  forced  from  the  Pei-ho  to  the  settlement  by 
a  steam-pump  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  demand  for 
water  was  so  great  that  these  hydrants  were  opened 
only  twice  a  day;  at  such  times  all  the  nations  were 
represented  by  water-carriers  with  all  sorts  of  vessels, 
and  here  we  see  them  at  the  hydrant  waiting  their  turns. 
Not  all  the  nations  are  represented  here ;  but  I  can  make 
out  four;  the  Russians,  being  encamped  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  are  not  to  be  seen;  it  also  happens  at 
this  moment  that  no  English  soldiers  are  present,  except 
the  Indians,  who  are  under  the  English.  We  see  the 
turbaned  Hindoos  in  goodly  numbers.  They  have  new- 
ly arrived  and  are  quartered  a  short  distance  up  that 
street  where  the  British  marines  were  previously  quar- 
tered ;  hence  the  presence  of  Hindoos  and  the  absence 
of  the  English.  Those  Indians  are  fine,  large  men,  and 
their  moral  and  military  bearing  is  highly  commendable ; 
they  are  accustomed  to  carry  water  in  skins,  which  are 
included  in  their  camp  outfit  in  their  own  country ;  these 
skins,  filled  with  water,  are  carried  on  the  backs  of 
donkeys.  Two  American  soldiers  are  in  charge  of  the 
hydrant.  To  facilitate  the  supply,  there  is  a  hose  on  one 
side  and  a  stop-cock  on  the  other,  one  man  to  attend 
to  each.  There  is  a  cart  with  a  copper  boiler  in  it,  prob- 
ably found  in  some  native  house.    The  coolies  have  a 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STfiRElOSCOf  E.  205 

tub,  and  there  are  two  five-gallon  kerosene  oil-cans  near 
the  little  smart  Jap  with  his  clean,  white  suit. 

This  street,  a  little  beyond  the  farthest  point  in  sight, 
was  crossed  by  a  breastwork  composed  of  bags  of  rice; 
just  before  us  it  was  defended  by  the  ancient  cheval-de- 
frise.  Those  low  buildings  on  the  right  were  pierced  by 
several  shells.  They  are  cooking-houses  and  sleeping- 
places  for  the  servants  of  well-to-do  English  families 
living  in  adjoining  houses  facing  on  a  street  called  Vic- 
toria Terrace ;  but  the  occupants  had  fled,  leaving  the 
houses  in  care  of  a  gentleman,  who  gave  me  pennission 
to  occupy  one  of  the  them.  Before  this  time  I  had 
taken  shelter,  as  before  stated,  in  a  vacated  room  of  a 
Chinese  home,  but  after  three  nights  my  room  was 
claimed  by  officers  of  the  United  States  Marines,  when  I 
removed  to  one  of  those  houses  opposite  us.  Here  I 
lodged  for  two  nights,  when  I  was  again  compelled  to 
give  up  my  extemporized  dormitory  on  a  sofa  to  other 
officers.  The  Ninth  United  States  Infantry  had  arrived 
from  the  Philippines  and  every  available  house  was  com- 
mandeered. One  of  the  shells  which  passed  through 
that  wall  by  the  trees,  on  the  right-hand  side  of  this 
street,  exploded  in  passing  through  the  wall  and  the 
fragments  entered  the  room  I  occupied  and  lodged  in 
the  back  of  a  fine  piano ;  but  each  night  I  took  the  pre- 
caution to  haul  the  sofa  on  which  I  slept  behind  some 
interior  wall.  These  houses  were  of  brick,  and  one  wall 
of  brick  was  sufficient  to  explode  a  shell  and  a  second 
would  stop  the  fragments ;  but  those  failing  to  explode 


2o6  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

would  pass  through  several  brick  walls.  The  bombard- 
ment was  intermittent ;  sometimes  for  a  half-day  scarce- 
ly a  shot  would  be  fired;  then  it  would  be  resumed 
again,  possibly  at  midnight,  or  at  some  hour  in  the  night. 
When  awakened  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell  further  sleep 
was  impossible.  The  few  people  left  in  the  settlement 
were  worn  out  by  broken  sleep  and  apprehension.  Those 
not  experienced  in  conditions  of  war,  and  especially  of 
bombardment,  cannot  possibly  imagine  the  startling  ef- 
fect of  bursting  shells.  During  one  afternoon,  when 
firing  was  unusually  severe,  three  shells  struck  within 
the  same  number  of  minutes;  one  tearing  through  the 
walls  of  the  City  Hall  and  two  others  bursting  within 
the  barracks  of  the  United  States  Marines,  but  doing 
little  damage.  A  little  later,  on  the  same  afternoon,  a 
shell  entered  the  quarters  of  the  British  Marines,  ad- 
jacent to  the  United  States  Marines,  killing  one  and 
wounding  two. 

Let  us  advance  up  this  street  about  one  hundred  yards, 
swing  to  the  right  another  hundred  yards,  and  ascend 
to  the  roof  of  a  building  known  as  the  German  Club 
Rooms.  There  we  shall  obtain  panoramic  views  looking 
in  three  directions. 

On  the  map  we  find  the  six  red  lines  which  mark  the 
limits  of  our  vision  in  these  three  views  starting  from 
the  eastern  side  of  the  English  Concession,  one  block 
from  the  river,  and  branching  toward  the  west  and  north- 
west. Note  now  the  second  and  fifth  lines  from  the 
bottom,  each  having  the  number  52  at  its  end.     We  are 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE,  207 

to  look  first  over  the  territory  between  those  two  lines. 
Before  we  take  this  position,  however,  we  should  get 
in  mind  the  positions  of  the  Chinese  troops,  the  Allied 
forces  and  the  general  plan  of  operations.  For  several 
weeks  the  Boxer  and  Imperial  troops,  located  mainly 
within  the  walled  Native  City,  have  been  shelling  most 
of  the  territory  included  within  the  Foreign  Concessions. 
Again  and  again  the  Chinese  had  made  sharp  attacks 
upon  the  Allied  troops,  especially  in  their  efforts  to  gain 
control  of  the  railroad  station.  All  their  efforts  met  with 
repulse,  but  many  lives  were  lost  on  both  sides.  Guns 
from  the  ships  of  the  Allies  had  been  placed  at  different 
points  commanding  the  enemy  in  the  Native  City,  Most 
of  them  were  along  the  earth  wall  on  the  south  side  of 
the  British  Concession.  For  several  days  hundreds  of 
shells  had  been  hurled  into  the  walled  city  and  the  smoke 
from  burning  buildings  showed  the  effectiveness  of  their 
work.  One  particular  point  upon  which  the  guns  had 
been  trained  was  the  South  Gate,  in  the  center  of  the 
south  wall  of  the  Native  City,  as  we  find  by  the  map. 
And  now,  on  the  day  we  are  to  look  over  this  field,  the 
Allies  had  arranged  for  a  concerted  attack.  The  Rus- 
sians and  Austrians  were  to  approach  the  Native  City 
from  the  east,  but  the  others  were  to  advance  from  the 
south.  Four  days  before,  Monday,  July  9,  a  force  of 
Japanese,  Russian  and  British  soldiers  had  captured  the 
West  Arsenal,  see  on  the  map  about  a  mile  south  of  the 
Native  City,  near  the  earth  wall.  The  way  was  thus 
open  for  a  much  nearer  approach  from  the  south.     On 


2o8  CHINA  THROtJGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

the  morning  of  the  13th  the  Allies  had  advanced  to  posi- 
tions from  one-quarter  to  one-half  a  mile  from  the  south- 
ern wall.  The  American  Marines  were  on  the  extreme 
left  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the  walled  city;  next, 
on  the  right,  were  the  Welsh  Fusiliers;  then  come  the 
Japanese  deployed  on  either  side  of  the  road  to  the  South 
Gate,  then  the  British  ]VIarines,  and  farthest  to  the  right, 
near  the  river,  the  Eighth  United  States  Infantry. 

Let  us  climb  now  to  our  lookout  point  on  the  German 
Club  building,  to  look  over  the  territory  lying  between 
the  two  red  lines  having  the  number  52  at  their  ends. 

52.  BattleSeld  of  Tien-tsin  {during  the  Battle,  July  13, 
1900)  from  German  Club  {w.)  to  West  Arsenal, 
Tien-tsin. 

Just  a  moment  now  to  get  our  bearings.  The  build- 
ings near  us  belong  to  the  British  Concession.  Farther 
away  is  the  territory  covered  by  the  French  and  Japa- 
nese Concessions.  That  group  of  buildings  with  several 
smokestacks  in  the  distance  to  the  left  belong  to  the 
West  Arsenal  (see  map).  In  the  distance,  far  to  the 
right,  we  hardly  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  southwestern 
corner  of  the  walled  city. 

Perhaps  we  may  at  first  see  nothing  extraordinary  in 
this  scene,  and  still,  probably  not  in  the  history  of  the 
world  has  a  landscape  been  photographed  in  which,  at  the 
time  the  view  was  made,  events  so  momentous  were  being 
enacted ;  besides,  beyond  doubt  no  other  view  was  taken 
showing  a  similar  panorama  during  the  action  of  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  209 

Allies  before  Tien-tsin  on  that  historic  day.  I  was,  so 
far  as  I  can  learn,  the  only  photographer  on  the  ground 
to  do  work  of  this  kind.  Correspondents  from  all  parts 
of  the  world  tried  to  secure  these  views  and  offered  to  pay 
me  any  sum  I  would  mention  for  them;  but,  of  course, 
they  were  not  mine  to  sell — they  were  the  property 
of  the  publishers  by  whom  I  was  employed.  Even  maps 
of  the  field  were  not  in  existence.  These  things  I  men- 
tion that  we  may  appreciate  the  privilege  we  now  have 
of  looking  upon  the  field  of  battle  itself,  and  that,  too, 
at  the  time  when  the  battle  waged  in  all  its  fury,  when 
these  very  buildings  on  which  we  stand  were  vibrating 
with  the  deafening  roar  of  more  than  a  hundred  can- 
non, when  the  thinned  numbers  of  civilians  left  in  the 
desolate  settlement,  were  waiting  in  the  utmost  anx- 
iety to  know  how  the  tide  of  battle  would  turn,  whether 
in  victory  or  defeat,  which  meant  safety  or  massacre. 
The  cruel  enemy  was  infinitely  superior  in  numbers,  and, 
if  their  valor  should  prove  even  half  equal  to  their  num- 
bers, relentless  slaughter  awaited  all  of  us.  A  number 
of  us  stood  where  we  now  stand.  You  see  the  horizon 
yonder,  hazy  with  the  smoke  of  rifle  fire  and  bursting 
shell.  It  was  a  thrilling  and  anxious  day  for  us ;  it  was 
a  historic  day  for  the  world,  and  it  is  for  these  reasons 
that  I  ask  you  to  note  with  more  than  usual  care  my 
explanation  of  what  is  before  us  here  and  of  what  we 
shall  see  from  our  next  view-points. 

First,  then,  let  me  locate  our  position  with  reference 
to  our  last  standpoint.     You  see  those  trees  in  an  open 


2IO  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

square;  the  street  in  which  we  stood  when  looking  at  the 
public  water  hydrant,  runs  along  the  left  side  of  the  square 
between  those  trees  and  the  small,  low  building,  the  gable 
end  of  which  we  see  over  this  lattice-covered  court 
near  us.  The  small  building  is  the  one  through  which 
a  shell  passed  into  the  rooms  I  occupied.  I  mentioned 
also  a  shell  which  entered  the  barracks  of  the  English 
Marines,  killing  one  and  wounding  two.  I  want  you  to 
see  the  hole  in  the  tile  roof  made  by  that  fatal  shell ;  you 
may  see  it  to  the  extreme  right,  at  the  edge  of  the  roof 
of  that  second  building,  the  one  with  three  small,  square 
towers. 

The  building  nearest  us  was  formerly  the  English 
Club  Rooms,  now  used  as  a  hospital  and  already  con- 
taining wounded  men.  Notice  the  rent  made  by  a  shell 
in  the  roof.  To-morrow,  when  the  wounded  are  brought 
in  from  the  bloody  battle  now  in  progress,  this  and  many 
other  extemporized  hospitals  will  be  more  than  full. 

Yesterday  the  cannonading  was  heavy,  especially  on 
account  of  several  lyddite  twelve-pound  naval  guns 
brought  from  British  ships — indeed,  they  had  been 
brought  direct  from  Ladysmith,  in  the  Transvaal,  and 
bore  each  a  tablet  with  the  significant  device,  "  From 
Ladysmith  to  Tien-tsin."  During  the  past  night  the 
measured  tread  of  soldiers  never  ceased.  We  suspected 
some  unusual  movement  was  on  foot;  but  in  time  of 
war  civilians  and  common  soldiers  never  know  the  im- 
port of  military  movements.  At  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing the  far-fetched  twelve-pounders  from  the  antipodes 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  211 

were  in  action.  The  night  movement  of  troops  was  the 
gathering  of  the  AUies  for  a  general  attack  on  the  Native 
City  of  Tien-tsin.  Americans,  EngUsh,  Japanese,  Welsh, 
French  and  a  few  Austrians,  numbering  in  all,  over  eight 
thousand,  had  moved  out,  under  cover  of  darkness,  to 
gain  an  advantageous  position  for  an  early  general  at- 
tack. That  West  Arsenal,  the  cluster  of  buildings  and 
tall  chimneys  in  the  distance  to  the  left,  has,  up  to  a  few 
days  ago,  been  in  active  operation,  turning  out  all  sorts 
of  modern  munitions  of  war.  Soon  after  the  invest- 
ment of  the  European  settlement,  this  arsenal  was  bom- 
barded and  the  Chinese  driven  out ;  shortly  they  reoccu- 
pied  it,  and  only  a  few  days  before  the  battle  now  in 
progress  it  was  shelled  again  and  burned.  It  is  in  the 
center  of  the  line  of  advance  of  the  Allies.  It  is  called 
the  West  Arsenal  in  contradistinction  to  the  East  Ar- 
senal, lying  at  an  equal  distance  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Pei-ho,  or  directly  behind  us,  as  we  stand  here.  The 
East  Arsenal,  which  we  shall  see  later,  was  captured 
and  burned  by  the  first  relief  force  to  Tien-tsin.  Both 
these  arsenals  contained  all  the  latest  modem  facilities 
for  the  manufacture  of  war  material.  The  distance  from 
where  we  stand  to  the  West  Arsenal  is  about  two  miles ; 
from  the  arsenal  to  the  Native  City  it  is  a  little  more  than 
half  that  distance.  As  we  have  said,  the  objective  point 
of  the  Allies  is  the  South  Gate  of  the  Native  City,  which 
lies  directly  north  of  the  arsenal  and  in  line  with  it.  A 
poor  road  extends  from  the  arsenal  across  a  muddy  and 
grassy  plain  to  the  South  Gate,  sometimes  called  the 


212  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

Taku  Gate.  The  brick  wall  surrounding  the  river  city 
is  twenty-five  feet  high  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  thick, 
with  four  principal  gates.  A  mile  or  over  from  this  wall 
is  the  circumvallation  of  clay,  the  earth  or  "  mud-wall," 
some  fifteen  feet  high,  which  serves  as  a  first  line  of  de- 
fense. At  the  left  of  the  arsenal  you  can  see  a  dark 
line  extending  toward  our  left ;  that  is  the  famous  "  mud- 
wall  "  mentioned  so  frequently  in  connection  with  the 
exigencies  of  the  Boxer  war.  The  center  of  our  present 
field  of  vision  is  the  center  of  the  advance  of  the  Allies 
in  the  forenoon ;  later  in  the  day  the  lines  advanced 
slowly  and  with  great  difficulty  toward  the  city.  You 
can  scarcely  see  a  dark  line  extending  from  the  arsenal 
toward  the  right,  marking  the  line  of  the  road  to  the 
city.  But  to  the  left  and  to  the  right  of  that  road,  we  re- 
member the  Allied  forces  deployed  in  the  following  order 
from  left  to  right :  American  Marines,  Welsh  Fusiliers, 
Japanese,  British  Marines,  Eighth  United  States  In- 
fantry. At  this  distance  of  two  miles  the  field  of  battle 
seems  small,  but  remember  that  it  embraces  five  or  six 
square  miles  before  us  in  this  direction,  and,  when  we 
turn  in  an  opposite  direction  and  look  across  the  Pei-ho, 
we  will  see  another  field  of  an  equal  area  covered  by 
the  Russian  wing  of  the  Allies.  It  is  uncertain  whether 
we  can  now  distinguish  troops  or  not;  but  at  times  dur- 
ing the  battle  we  could  distinguish  the  different  soldiers 
without  our  field-glasses,  and  with  them,  very  distinctly. 
You  can  dimly  see  off  to  the  right  the  line  of  the  city 
wall  vanishing  in  the  distant  horizon ;  and  the  exact  posi- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  213 

tion  of  the  American  Ninth  Infantry  is  indicated  by  those 
black  objects,  far  to  the  right,  in  the  hazy  distance.  In- 
deed, I  have  scarcely  been  able  to  convince  myself  that 
those  dark  objects  are  not  the  blue  shirts  of  the  brave 
boys  of  the  Ninth;  that  is  the  exact  position  they  occu- 
pied at  midday,  when  they  found  shelter  for  a  time  be- 
hind some  mud-houses.  It  was  there  they  encountered 
a  deadly  flank  fire  from  a  range  of  loop-holed  walls  not 
two  hundred  yards  distant.  It  was  near  that  point,  also, 
that  Colonel  Liscom  fell.  I  must  remind  you  that  native 
villages  surround  the  city,  outside  the  walls,  and  that 
these  places  were  filled  with  Boxers  well  protected  and 
firing  from  loop-holes. 

If  we  turn  more  to  the  left  we  shall  obtain  a  better 
view  of  the  mud-wall  and  the  course  of  the  night  march 
of  the  Allies.  On  the  map,  the  lowest  of  the  six  red 
lines  which  branch  out  from  our  standpoint  near  the 
river  in  the  English  Concession  and  the  third  line  from 
the  bottom,  each  with  the  number  53  at  its  end,  mark 
the  limits  of  our  next  field  of  vision. 

S3.  From  German  Club  (w.  s.  w.)  over  Battle£eld  dur- 
ing the  Battle,  July  13,  igoo,  showing  Mud- wall 
and  West  Arsenal,  Tien-tsin. 

Although  we  are  on  the  same  roof  as  before,  we  have 
so  changed  our  position  as  to  be  able  to  see  a  number 
of  citizens  and  one  or  two  missionaries  with  their  field- 
glasses  watching  the  progress  of  the  battle.  Notice  how 
some  look  in  one  direction  and  some  in  another;    some 


214  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

are  watching  the  bursting  of  the  lyddite  shells  at  the 
South  Gate,  which  we  hope  to  enter  to-morrow  morn- 
ing if  the  Allies  are  successful ;  some  are  looking  at  the 
burning  city,  toward  which  we  shall  look  soon;  others 
are  watching  the  shells  from  the  Chinese  guns  on  the 
wall  of  the  city,  which  are  exploding  over  the  Allies. 
You  can  see  where  one  shell  has  just  exploded  to  the 
right  of  the  arsenal.  Now  we  can  follow  the  course  of 
the  mud-wall  as  it  runs  from  the  West  Arsenal  toward 
the  settlement  on  our  left.  A  little  farther  to  our  left 
than  we  can  now  see  five  or  six  guns  from  H.  M.  S.  "  Ter- 
rible "  are  mounted  along  this  wall ;  these  we  shall  also 
see  to-morrow,  if  all  goes  well,  when  we  move  in  that  di- 
rection to  enter  the  city.  Also,  beyond  our  vision  limit 
to  the  left,  near  the  same  wall,  two  twelve-pound  lyddite 
guns  are  placed ;  just  across  the  street,  not  fifty  yards 
away,  is  the  City  Hall,  on  the  tower  of  which  is  the 
signal  corps  with  a  telephone  communication  with  these 
guns,  and  we  can  hear  the  orders  given  to  the  gunners. 
Seemingly  half-way  between  us  and  the  West  Arsenal 
you  see  a  cluster  of  buildings  sheltered  by  walls;  near 
that  place  the  Japanese  have  a  field  battery ;  and  farther 
to  the  right  the  Sikhs  have  another.  As  we  stand  here 
all  of  these  guns  and  many  others  are  belching  lurid 
flames,  while  the  earth  seems  to  tremble  with  their  un- 
ceasing roar.  The  Grand  Canal,  coming  from  the 
southward,  reaches  the  mud-wall  oflF  to  the  left  of  the 
arsenal ;  a  small  canal  extends  from  the  Grand  Canal  to 
the  Pei-ho,  running  close  behind  the  mud-wall.     Many 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  215 

of  the  troops  now  engaged  passed  out  during  the  night 
behind  that  wall ;  others  passed  over  those  low,  grassy 
plains  to  the  left  until  on  a  line  with  the  arsenal,  taking 
shelter  behind  the  wall  till  the  order  was  given  for  a  gen- 
eral advance.  The  night  movement  was  intended  to 
conceal  the  intended  attack;  but  spies  had  apprised  the 
enemy  and  they  were  well  prepared. 

Only  one  person  in  this  group  of  spectators  seems  to 
be  watching  the  Russian  attack  toward  the  east  and 
northeast.  The  person  in  dark  clothes  near  us,  with  his 
field-glass  at  his  eyes,  is  looking  toward  the  center  of 
the  Russian  wing  across  the  Pei-ho. 

For  a  few  minutes  we  shall  leave  our  position  here 
and  take  another  on  the  tower  of  the  Taku  Lighter  Com- 
pany's building,  from  which  we  shall  look  across  the 
Pei-ho  to  the  East  Arsenal.  On  the  map  our  new  field 
of  vision  is  given  by  the  red  lines  connected  with  the 
number  54,  which  branch  from  the  west  bank  of  the 
river  to  the  right-hand  map  margin. 

54.  From  British  Concession  (e.)  to  JE^ast  Arsenal  over 
Plain  Occupied  by  Russians— During  BattlCf 
July  13,  igoo,  Tien-tsin, 

Now,  we  are  facing  due  east.  The  narrow,  muddy 
Pei-ho  lies  below  us.  We  see  something  of  the  scat- 
tered villages  across  the  river,  where  Boxers  found  de- 
fenses from  which  they  fired  upon  the  settlement  before 
the  arrival  of  the  relief  forces.  We  are  here  at  the  ex- 
treme southern  end  of  the  English  Settlement  and  the 


2l6  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

native  houses  across  the  river  are  few,  but  to  our  left, 
up  the  river,  they  extend  from  the  river-front  well  back 
into  the  plain.  At  present  they  are  everywhere  in  ruins ; 
fire  has  obliterated  every  trace  of  a  habitable  home ;  but 
even  after  fire  had  done  its  work  the  enemy  found  se- 
cure points  for  "  sniping  "  from  among  the  ruins.  The 
tower  on  which  we  stand  has  been  penetrated  by  several 
shells  fired  from  two  forts  a  mile  farther  up  the  river. 
In  this  direction  we  again  see  the  mud-wall,  marking  a 
distance  of  nearly  two  miles  from  the  Native  City,  Two 
more  of  the  destructive  lyddite  guns  were  placed  by 
the  wall  off  to  our  left.  Other  batteries  of  artillery  had 
been  planted  on  the  wall  in  attempting  to  silence  the 
two  forts  farther  up  the  river,  which  had  been  a  con- 
stant menace  to  the  settlement.  Eastward,  two  miles 
from  us,  we  see  the  East  Arsenal,  which  was  captured 
and  burned  by  the  relief  expedition  in  June.  This  E^st 
Arsenal  was  the  initial  point  of  the  Russians,  as  the  West 
Arsenal  was  of  the  other  Allies.  Russian  cavalry,  in- 
fantry and  artillery  spread  out  and  advanced  over  that 
plain  toward  the  East  Gate  of  the  Native  City  and  the 
forts  on  the  river.  The  ground,  as  you  see,  is  perfectly 
level ;  there  is  no  cover  for  advancing  troops,  and  the 
Russians  have  not  yet  learned  the  art  of  taking  shelter 
by  prostrating  themselves  on  the  ground;  they  were 
raked  by  rifle  fire  from  the  villages  and  by  shell  from 
the  forts  on  the  river.  From  dawn  through  the  long, 
hot  day,  the  Russian  troops  advanced  slowly  but  tena- 
ciously, against  overwhelming  odds;  by  nightfall  they 


CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE.  217 

had  captured  the  forts  which  had  wrought  so  much  de- 
struction and  caused  so  much  anxiety;  but  they  had 
not  entered  the  Native  City. 

We  will  return  to  our  former  lookout  on  the  roof  of  the 
German  Club  Building  to  witness  the  battle  now  going  on. 
From  a  slightly  different  position,  we  will  look  toward  the 
Native  City. 

Turn  again  on  the  map  to  the  six  lines  which  branch 
from  one  point  near  the  river  in  the  British  Concession. 
Notice  the  uppermost  line  and  the  second  one  from  it,  each 
with  the  number  55  at  its  end  on  the  map  margin.  As  we 
are  now  to  look  over  the  territory  between  these  two  lines 
it  is  evident  we  shall  be  looking  over  the  Native  City. 

55.  From.  German  Club  (n.  w.)  to  Burning  Native  City, 
during  Progress  of  the  Battle,  July  13,  1900, 
Tien-tsin. 

We  can  distinguish  faintly  the  outline  of  the  city  wall, 
especially  the  towers,  which  at  intervals  rise  quite  above 
the  level  of  the  wall.  It  is  evident  that  the  shells  of  the 
Allies  are  taking  effect ;  we  can  see  smoke  in  two  quarters. 

The  fire  to  the  right  is  in  the  interior  of  the  city  *  that 
to  the  left  is  at  the  South  Gate,  the  objective  point  of  at- 
tack by  the  Allies  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Every  gate 
has  a  massive  superstructure  of  wood ;  that  of  the  South 
Gate  is  burning  fiercely ;  with  our  field-glasses  we  can  see 
the  red  tongues  of  flame  licking  the  sky.  All  the  batteries 
have  been  directing  their  fire  upon  it.  There  the  Allies 
must  enter,  if  at  all.     The  bravest  men  cannot  scale  a 


21 8  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

twenty-five-foot  wall;  they  must  enter  at  the  gate.  We 
can  hear  the  order  given.  There  is  an  occasional  lull  to 
allow  the  overheated  guns  to  cool ;  then  the  quick  muzzle 
flashes  begin  again,  followed  by  the  deafening  roar  and 
earthquake  shocks.  This  has  continued  since  dawn; 
there  has  been  no  lull  in  the  steady  roll  of  rifle  fire ;  the 
fitful  popping  of  the  automatic  guns  sometimes  joins  in 
the  hellish  chorus.  In  such  a  long  continued  storm  of 
deadly  missiles  of  destruction  one  wonders  if  one  soul  can 
be  left  alive.  It  is  now  the  hottest  hour  of  the  day  and  the 
hottest  hour  of  the  battle.  The  sky  is  cloudless ;  the  sun 
is  merciless ;  the  thermometers  register  nearly  a  hundred 
in  the  shade ;  and  there,  before  us  over  that  torrid  plain, 
are  scattered  eight  thousand  men,  under  a  scorching  sun, 
without  shelter  of  any  kind  save  the  shelter  they  find  in 
prostrating  themselves  in  filthy  pools  and  quagmires,  and 
yet  enduring  throughout  this  long,  hot  day  the  well-di- 
rected and  well-protected  fire  of  some  fifty  thousand  Box- 
ers and  Imperial  troops.  The  territory  to  our  extreme 
left  here  was  to  our  extreme  right  before  ( Stereograph  No. 
52).  The  English  and  the  Ninth  U.  S.  Infantry  are  fight- 
ing near  each  other  to  the  right  of  the  South  Gate.  The 
plucky  little  Japanese  are  beyond ;  they  are  easily  dis- 
tinguished in  white  uniform.  Some  one  in  our  eager 
group  of  spectators  calls  out :  "  See  the  Japs  advance  on 
the  double-quick !  "  All  glasses  are  up  to  see  the  bold 
little  heroes  rush  forward  for  a  hundred  yards  under  a 
withering  fire  and  then  drop  out  of  sight  in  the  long  grass 
and  mud ;  next  some  one  directs  attention  to  a  charge  of 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  219 

Russian  cavalry  on  the  plain  across  the  river — a  long  ad- 
vancing cloud  of  dust  which  meant  that  the  cavalry  was 
within  it.  We  turn  again  toward  the  west  and  see  rider- 
less horses  galloping  back  to  the  arsenal;  many  of  the 
Allies  are  now  lost  to  sight  among  the  outlying  houses  in 
the  villages  near  the  wall,  and  in  the  long  reeds  which 
cover  the  ground  in  places.  Night  is  coming  on,  and  the 
ponderous  gates  are  still  closed  and  intact,  being  within  a 
square  court  and  not  exposed  to  shells.  The  Allies  are 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  city  walls,  but  not  even 
the  lyddite  shells  have  breached  the  walls  or  gates.  To 
charge  these  walls  would  mean  destruction  and  slaughter ; 
to  retreat  meant  the  same.  It  is  defeat,  but  only  those  at 
the  front  know  it ;  worse  still,  it  is  defeat  without  possi- 
bility of  retreat.  Surrender  means  indiscriminate  slaugh- 
ter with  such  an  enemy.  Night  is  coming  on  and  dark- 
ness will  enable  the  Allies  to  withdraw ;  and  what  a  wel- 
come night  it  is  to  those  weary  men  who  have  borne  the 
brunt  of  battle  and  the  broiling  sun  from  early  morn  till 
darkness — no  food,  no  water,  no  shelter,  and  every  hour  of 
the  long  day  under  a  raking  fire.  We  on  the  roof  wonder 
how  men  can  live  under  such  a  fire ;  we  talk  of  the  dead 
and  wounded  now  scattered  over  those  fields  where  they 
will  remain  for  the  night,  sweltering  in  bloody  garments, 
on  beds  of  mire.  Darkness  is  to  be  the  salvation  of  the 
Allies,  for  they  retired  under  cover  of  night  to  the  mud- 
wall,  where  mud-stained  and  blood-stained,  weary  and 
hungry,  they  caught  snatches  of  sleep  on  their  arms. 

It  was  learned  during  the  night  that  the  Chinese  were 


220  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

as  much  disheartened  as  the  Allies  and  anticipating,  nat- 
urally, a  renewal  of  assault  in  the  morning,  with  reen- 
forcements,  commenced  to  retreat.  The  Allies  decided 
upon  a  vigorous  and  concerted  attack  in  the  morning, 
which  was  made  and  led  by  the  intrepid  Japanese.  An 
unexpectedly  feeble  defense  was  met,  many  of  the  enemy 
having  probably  withdrawn  during  the  night.  The  South 
Gate  was  breached  by  the  Japanese.  T.wo  unsuccessful 
attempts  were  made  to  blow  down  the  ponderous  gates 
with  dynamite,  but  each  time  the  fuse  failed  to  ignite.  It 
was  a  crucial  moment,  when  a  minute  lost  might  be  the 
sacrifice  of  a  hundred  lives.  In  an  army  of  heroes  there 
is  no  scarcity  of  martyrs.  A  Japanese  soldier  rushed  for- 
ward, with  torch  in  hand,  ignited  the  explosive  and  was 
himself  blown  to  atoms;  but  the  great  gate  was  blown 
down.  Led  by  these  soldiers,  the  whole  force  streamed 
through,  and  the  great  horde  of  Boxers  and  Imperial  sol- 
diers were  making  an  ignominious  exit  from  all  parts  of 
the  city.  When  early  morning  brought  the  welcome  tid- 
ings that  the  Allies  were  entering  the  Native  City,  we  all 
felt  that  the  midnight  of  apprehension  was  past ;  that  our 
long-beleaguered  conditions  were  at  an  end ;  that  the  last 
shell  had  shrieked  over  the  settlement. 

Now  let  us  hasten  to  the  South  Gate  to  witness  "  after 
the  battle  "  scenes.  We  will  go  by  the  mud-wall  and  the 
West  Arsenal,  stopping  a  few  times  on  the  way.  We  halt 
first  to  examine  a  pair  of  naval  guns,  already  men- 
tioned as  having  been  brought  from  H.  M.  S.  "  Ter- 
rible," and  to  look  again  toward  the  burning  city.     On  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  221 

lower  portion  of  the  map  find  the  number  56  in  red  by  the 
earth-wall  along  the  British  Concession,  and  the  two  red 
lines  which  branch  toward  the  northwest. 

56,  Destructive  Guns  from  H.  M.  S.  "Terrible" 
and  Distant  Burning  City  Fired  by  their  Shells 
— Tien-tsin. 

These  hot,  smoking  guns  are  not  the  first  of  the  after- 
the-battle  scenes;  before  reaching  this  point  we  have 
passed  lines  of  wounded  men,  borne  on  stretchers;  just 
behind  us,  in  a  canal  in  line  with  the  wall  on  which  we 
stand,  are  flat-boats  filled  with  wounded  Japanese.  These 
boats  are  pushed  slowly  along  with  poles,  and  the  spec- 
tacle they  present  is  pitiful  in  the  extreme ;  the  bottoms  of 
the  boats  are  crowded  with  wounded  men,  some  sitting, 
some  lying,  all  in  the  hot  sun;  they  are  just  brought  from 
the  muddy  field  where  they  have  lain  and  moaned  away  a 
dreary  night.  The  silence  is  funereal ;  they  are  not  dead 
men ;  they  are  the  wounded,  many  of  them  mortally ;  yet 
no  word  is  spoken,  even  by  the  men  poling  the  boats  slow- 
ly along.  The  litter-bearers  are  as  silent  as  pall-bearers ; 
the  tender  consideration  for  the  suffering  wounded  is  as 
solemn  as  the  reverence  for  the  dead.  Remembering  the 
dreadful  all-day  battle,  one  can  scarcely  resist  an  impulse 
to  lift  one's  hat  when  passing  the  familiar  uniform  of  our 
own  boys,  spattered  with  mud  and  blood-stained  beyond 
recognition,  with  a  crumpled  hat  sheltering  a  pallid  face 
from  the  fierce  sun.  It  is  better  that  I  cannot  show  you 
all  the  scenes  of  war. 


222  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

Now  let  US  examine  these  instruments  of  destruction 
that  have  added  red  pigment  to  the  war-picture  behind 
those  distant  city  walls.  The  gunners  have  retired  to  a 
slight  shelter  in  the  wall  near  where  we  stand;  they  are 
smeared  with  smoke  and  dust;  they  have  slept  by  these 
guns.  Yesterday,  from  daylight  till  darkness,  these  two 
grim  machines  were  hot  with  unremittent  firing.  Now, 
the  enemy's  guns  are  silent,  and  these  two,  with  many  oth- 
ers, look  restfully  and  victoriously  toward  the  destruction 
they  have  wrought.  We  see  the  smoke  still  rising  from 
the  South  Gate  directly  before  us  and,  to  the  right,  from 
the  burning  city;  columns  of  smoke  have  been  thus  rising 
from  different  parts  of  the  city  for  several  days ;  a  great 
part  of  the  city  is  laid  waste,  as  we  shall  see  when  we  enter 
it  at  that  South  Gate  a  little  later.  We  are  nearly  a  mile 
from  our  former  lookout  on  the  roof  and  not  yet  in  line 
with  the  ground  over  which  the  Allies  advanced.  We  are 
looking  northwest  toward  the  south  wall  of  the  city,  and 
here  we  get  an  idea  of  the  pools  of  water  which  had  to  be 
crossed,  though  on  the  line  of  the  advance  there  are  no 
sheltering  banks  or  ditches,  nor  buildings  like  those  we  see 
before  us. 

But  we  cannot  linger  here;  we  must  hurry  along  the 
top  of  the  wall  to  a  point  opposite  the  West  Arsenal,  in  the 
rear  of  this  mud-wall,  where  the  exhausted  and  tempo- 
rarily repulsed  Allies  lay  on  their  arms  during  the  past 
night.  Many  wounded  have  been  brought  to  that  place. 
Many  dead  also. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE,  223 

57.  Columbia's  Noble  Soldier  Boys — As  Kind-hearted 
as  Brave — American  Giving  Water  to  Wounded 
Japanese  after  the  Battle  of  Tien-tsin. 

But  we  will  not  turn  to  see  a  row  of  two  hundred  dead 
lying  a  little  behind  where  we  are  standing ;  we  will  only 
glance  at  a  scene  among  the  wounded  and  hurry  on  to  the 
burning  city.  You  here  obtain  a  near  view  of  the  mud- 
wall  so  often  mentioned.  And  nearest  to  us  you  see  a 
fatally-wounded  Japanese  soldier  and  the  tender-hearted 
American  boy  bestowing  the  only  blessing  in  his  power — 
some  water  to  allay  the  feverish  thirst  of  his  mortal  agony. 
The  American  soldiers  have  a  kindly  feeling  toward  the 
Japanese.  The  average  American  admires  pluck ;  the  lit- 
tle Japanese  is  an  ideal  embodiment  of  suaviter  in  modo, 
for  titer  in  re;  our  boys  recognize  this  and  make  pets  of 
the  manly  little  fellows.  I  have  frequently  seen  an  Ameri- 
can and  a  Japanese  walking  arm  in  arm  when  neither  could 
understand  a  word  spoken  by  the  other.  The  little  chaps 
from  "  The  Land  of  the  Rismg  Sun  "  reciprocate.  It  has 
frequently  been  a  great  convenience  to  me,  in  passing  a 
Japanese  guard,  that  I  had  only  to  call  out  "  American," 
when  the  cordial  recognition,  "  All  right,"  in  quaint  Eng- 
lish, was  quickly  given.  They  are  so  gentle  and  yet  so 
brave,  possessing  in  a  marked  degree  those  companion  vir- 
tues. A  boat-load  of  Japanese  has  just  left  this  place  for 
the  hospitals  in  the  settlement.  You  see  the  portions  of 
tents  from  which  they  have  been  removed,  but  you  can 
scarcely  see  the  blood  stains.  Photography  is  merciful 
and  does  not  portray  the  blood-smeared  garments  and  the 


2  24  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

blood  clots  on  the  ground  where  the  wounded  have  lain 
over  night.  There  is  a  dying  soldier  on  the  left  and  a 
wounded  English  or  American  soldier  beyond  him,  under 
the  cover.  Two  Japanese  doctors  are  seen  here  dressing 
wounds. 

From  here  you  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  canal  I  have  pre- 
viously mentioned,  and  along  which  many  of  the  wounded 
were  carried.  You  can  also  discern  buildings  of  the  set- 
tlement, two  miles  away,  on  the  Pei-ho.  We  are  looking 
east,  as  the  red  lines  connected  with  the  number  57  on  the 
map  show. 

A  few  rods  back  from  where  we  stand,  we  will  ascend 
the  mud-wall  and  look  toward  the  Native  City  and  the 
South  Gate  (see  map). 

58.  From  Mad- wall  near  West  Arsenal  (n.)  to  Sontb 
Gate  of  Native  City,  when  Allies  are  Entering, 
July  14,  igoo,  Tien-tsin. 

The  allied  armies  have  passed  this  morning  from  where 
we  stand  across  that  plain  to  the  wall  of  the  city  through 
which  they  have  just  gone,  led  by  the  Japanese.  Several 
flags  are  already  hoisted,  which  we  can  indistinctly  dis- 
cern. To  the  extreme  left,  as  I  recall,  the  French  flag; 
nearer  the  smoke,  the  American,  over  the  South  Gate ;  be- 
tween the  two  columns  of  smoke,  the  Japanese,  the  Eng- 
lish being  hoisted  in  another  part  of  the  city.  You  can 
distinguish  the  outlines  of  the  walls  of  the  city  here,  much 
as  we  could  from  the  roof  of  the  German  Club  building, 
showing  still  a  distance  of  over  a  mile.     The  road  which 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  225 

extends  from  this  point  to  the  South  Gate  lies  directly  be- 
fore us ;  it  swings  around  that  pond  to  the  left,  then  again  ■ 
to  the  right,  passing  around  those  farther  native  houses, 
where  we  see  a  number  of  persons ;  then  again  it  deflects 
to  the  left,  and  continues  directly  to  the  South  Gate  at  the 
left  of  the  rising  smoke,  where  the  American  flag  flies  tri- 
umphant over  the  smoldering  ruins.     The  ruins  of  the 
West  Arsenal  which  we  have  had  occasion  to  mention  so 
frequently,  lie  at  our  right,  extending  nearly  up  to  those 
trees  and  facing  that  small  native  village  on  the  left. 
These  ponds  occur  frequently  over  the  battlefield ;   some- 
times as  drainage  canals,  sometimes  as  mere  stagnant 
pools.     The  houses  in  these  villages  have  all  been  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  probably  by  the  shells  fired  at  the  arsenal 
which  is  in  line  with  them.     You  may  see  a  canal  beyond 
those  houses  on  the  other  side  of  the  pool.     That  canal  ex- 
tends nearly  to  the  city,  and  the  road  follows  its  right 
bank.     At  a  point  half  way  to  the  city  the  Boxers  had 
breastworks  thrown  across  the  road,  and  behind  these 
were  vast  quantities  of  fired  rifle  shells.     In  that  nearby 
village  were  great  numbers  of  the  dead. 

We  see  before  us  a  band  of  coolies  bearing  a  palanquin 
containing  some  important  personage,  probably  a  civil 
functionary  who  has  been  allowed  to  pass  the  guards  and 
escape  to  the  country ;  or  it  may  be  a  distinguished 
prisoner  in  charge  of  that  officer  who  follows.  The 
coolies  are  carrying  small,  white  flags  for  protection.  At 
such  a  time  we  do  not  stop  to  make  inquiries  about  trifles. 
We  hurry  on  to  reach  the  South  Gate,  and  in  passing 


2  26  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

through  suburban  villages  we  see  many  victims  of  the 
previous  day's  fighting ;  some  within  their  houses,  some 
in  the  yards  of  their  homes ;  one  little  boy,  I  could  not  but 
notice,  who  lay  over  the  threshold  of  his  home,  his  feet 
projecting  into  the  street.  When  we  reach  the  gate  we 
find  all  is  chaos  and  consternation ;  the  flames  within  the 
walls  of  the  quadrangular  square  at  the  gate  are  still 
burning  fiercely.  The  terrified  inhabitants  are  cowering 
in  every  nook.  We  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  just 
east  of  the  gate,  and  look  west.  The  Japanese  seem  to  be 
in  charge,  but  the  Stars  and  Stripes  have  been  sent  up, 
even  amid  flame  and  smoke,  and  there  they  still  float. 
Our  position  is  given  on  the  map  by  the  red  lines  con- 
nected with  the  number  59,  which  start  a  few  rods  east  of 
the  South  Gate  and  branch  west. 

59.  Chinese  who  Paid  War's  Penalty— At  South  Gate 
Immediately  after  Allies  JE^ntered  the  City— 
Battle  of  Tien-tsin. 

The  South  Gate  is  beneath  that  burned  tower  on  which 
our  flag  floats.  We  entered  there  from  our  left,  turned 
in  this  direction  and  ascended  the  wall  at  that  inclined 
causeway  at  the  right  of  the  Japanese  soldiers  on  the  wall. 
We  are  now  looking  westward,  along  the  top  of  the  wall. 
The  West  Arsenal  and  the  foreign  settlements  lie  beyond 
this  wall  to  our  left. 

For  days  we  have  been  looking  to  this  spot  before  us; 
now  we  stand  upon  it  when  the  victorious  Allies  are 
spreading  out  into  every  part  of  the  city  to  our  right.    We 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  227 

mentioned  the  Boxers  in  ignominious  flight.  You  notice 
two  before  us  not  in  the  condition  of  flight.  Since  we 
entered  China,  these  are  the  first  I  have  been  able  to  show 
you  of  the  I-Ho-Chuan  Society.  These  poor  fellows  do 
not  look  much  like  overthrowing  the  reigning  dynasty  or 
even  expelling  the  foreigners.  We  know  they  are  Boxers 
because  they  do  not  wear  the  uniform  of  the  Imperial 
soldiers.  The  number  of  dead  along  this  wall  was  not 
great.  You  see  the  protection  afforded  by  this  loopholed 
defense  rising  on  our  left.  The  Boxers  stood  behind  this 
and  only  occasional  shots,  passing  through  loopholes, 
could  reach  them.  The  greater  number  of  dead  are  in 
the  streets  and  houses  near  this  gate,  many  of  whom  have 
been  killed  by  common  shells  and  the  deadly  gases  of  the 
lyddite  shells.  The  wall,  at  the  point  where  the  soldiers 
are  standing,  extends  to  the  left  for  about  fifty  feet,  form- 
ing a  quadrangle  within  which  the  great  gates  are  lo- 
cated ;  hence,  the  impossibility  of  reaching  them  with  shell. 
While  we  are  considering  the  wall,  let  me  ask  you  to  no- 
tice how  it  is  constructed,  as,  at  this  place,  the  ruinous 
condition  shows  the  formation,  viz.,  a  face  wall,  eight  or 
ten  feet  in  thickness  on  both  sides,  and  the  interspace  filled 
with  clay.  The  bricks  used  are  large,  about  four  by  eight 
by  twelve  inches.  You  see  a  gathering  of  Japanese  sol- 
diers near  the  burned  tower,  and  a  few  Americans  at  the 
left.  In  the  street  below  are  Japanese  horses  laden  with 
munitions  of  war.  Seated  by  the  wall  we  see  two  Japan- 
ese civilian  onlookers;  may  be  they  are  attaches  of  the 
army,  or  correspondents;  beyond  them,  standing  against 


228  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  wall,  is  a  large  native  gun,  called  a  gingal  or  two- 
man  gun.  Many  of  these  were  brought  into  requisition 
by  the  Boxers,  while  the  regular  soldiers  were  supplied 
with  the  Austrian  army  guns,  considered  by  many  the 
most  effective  weapon  on  the  field. 

We  will  pass  along  to  that  projecting  point  on  the  wall, 
at  the  right  of  the  Japanese  soldier,  and  face  in  this  direc- 
tion, that  we  may  see  a  continuation  of  the  wall  back  of 
us  and  the  aspect  of  the  street  running  parallel  with  it 
down  on  our  right.  On  the  map  see  red  lines,  connected 
with  the  number  6c,  which  branch  to  the  east  from  near 
the  South  Gate. 

60.  Motley  Crowds  and  Jumbled  Hnta  of  Old  Tien-tsin 
— View  Inside  Soatb  Gate  soon  after  the  City 
was  Occupied. 

Here  we  have  a  general  view  looking  east  along  the  old 
wall  which  swings  to  the  left  in  the  distance.  The  Ger- 
man Club  building,  from  which  we  obtained  our  first  pan- 
oramas of  the  battlefield,  lies  over  a  mile  farther  to  the 
right  than  we  can  see.  We  have  again,  from  this  posi- 
tion, a  view  of  the  Japanese  military  supply  force,  and 
there,  near  us,  is  an  officer's  horse ;  we  see  bands  of  coolies, 
probably  commandeered  for  service ;  we  see  a  line  of  cap- 
tured "  rikishas  " ;  we  may  observe  also  this  range  of 
poorer  houses  made  of  mud;  the  better  buildings  are  of 
brick,  but  all  of  one  low  story  as  usual.  You  may  notice 
many  of  these  mud-houses  pinked  with  bullet  holes,  made 
by  shots  passing  over  the  wall  and,  more  than  likely,  by 
some  volleys  fired  after  the  entrance  at  the  gate,  which  now 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  229 

lies  behind  us.  Farther  on,  a  little  to  the  left,  we  may  see 
where  a  shell  has  penetrated  a  mud-roof;  but  still  more 
interesting  are  buildings  beyond,  fronting  on  this  same 
street  where  you  see  an  open  space,  flanked  by  a  brick 
wall ;  they  are  to  the  left  of  the  wall  and  are  a  little  higher 
than  the  surrounding  structures.  They  constitute  a  native 
arsenal  and  were  well  filled  with  all  sorts  of  war  materials, 
including  cannon,  rifles  of  many  kinds,  swords,  ammuni- 
tion, flags,  soldiers'  clothing,  etc.  There  is  no  doubt  but 
that  the  ample  supply  of  this  military  storehouse  furnished 
many  a  souvenir  to  both  civilian  and  soldier.  After  the 
capture  of  the  city  it  was  divided  into  districts,  and  the 
diflFerent  districts  were  assigned  to  troops  of  different  na- 
tions for  control  and  government.  This  portion  of  the 
city  was  assigned  to  the  Americans.  This  district  extends 
from  the  South  Gate  nearly  to  the  tower  we  see  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  to  the  left  an  equal  distance.  Fortunately  for 
the  Americans  the  district  contained  both  an  arsenal  and 
a  mint;  more  correctly  the  so-called  mint  was  a  public 
building  for  the  safe-keeping  of  syce  or  silver  bullion  re- 
ceived from  all  parts  of  the  Empire,  in  payment  for  salt, 
which  is  produced  in  great  quantities  from  sea-water,  by 
solar  evaporation,  and  shipped  to  the  different  Provinces. 
In  giving  an  account  of  this  mint  or  salt-yamen,  as  we 
will  call  it,  I  must  anticipate,  in  order  that  you  may  un- 
derstand the  interest  attached  to  the  scene  before  us ;  tliat 
is,  I  must  tell  you  something  of  what  transpired  several 
days  after  the  capture  of  the  city,  that  you  may  better  un- 


230  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

derstand  the  scene  presented  here  on  the  day  following 
the  battle. 

The  location  of  the  salt-yamen  is  indicated  by  those 
two  tall  poles  resembling  flag-poles  off  to  our  left;  the 
buildings,  at  the  time  we  are  looking  on  the  scene,  are 
still  smoldering,  and  few  seemed  to  know  that  said  build- 
ings contained  great  quantities  of  bullion.  Soon  after  I 
was  here  I  met  an  American  soldier  who  had  in  his  pos- 
session an  old  bag  containing  about  as  much  silver  as  he 
could  conveniently  carry.  He  said,  "  Look  in  this  bag !  " 
I  looked,  and,  sure  enough,  there  was  a  back-load  of 
bright  bars ;  but  I  had  some  doubts  about  it  being  silver. 
I  suspected  I  had  become  possessed  of  one  of  those  old 
tantalizing  dreams  about  finding  money.  I  said  to  him, 
"  How  much  apiece  for  those  bars  ?  "  "  Two  dollars  and 
a  half;  there's  plenty  more  over  there,"  was  his  reply.  It 
proved,  however,  to  be  silver  of  the  first  quality,  worth 
thirty-five  dollars  per  bar.  I  had  not  qualified  as  a  broker 
and  the  opportunity  was  lost.  During  the  following  night, 
and  before  the  military  officers  in  command  were  fully 
aware  of  the  great  quantity  of  silver  in  the  burning  ruins, 
soldiers  and  others  had  carried  off  vast  amounts.  From 
this  source  syce  became  so  plentiful  in  the  settlement  that 
the  military  authorities  prohibited  the  banks  from  buying 
it,  and  made  some  attempts  to  confiscate  what  had  been 
thus  taken  by  individuals.  The  ruins  of  the  salt-yamen 
proved  a  veritable  silver  mine.  A  guard  was  placed  over 
it  finally,  and  the  silver  was  removed  to  the  headquarters 
of  the  U.  S.  Marines;  but  what  disposition  was  finally 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  231 

made  of  this  rich  capture  I  have  never  been  able  to  learn. 
And,  as  to  the  amount,  I  cannot  say  authoritatively,  but 
it  was  currently  reported  at  one  and  a  half  millions  of 
dollars.  This,  however,  I  know,  that  when  it  was  brought 
into  the  marine  headquarters  I  made  a  photograph  of  nine 
four-mule  wagon  loads  of  silver,  all  standing  at  one  time 
before  the  marine  barracks,  and  was  told  that  these  nine 
four-mule  teams  would  have  to  make  a  second  trip  to  the 
yamen  for  the  balance.  It  was  well  known  later  that  the 
Americans  were  not  the  only  ones  among  the  allied  troops 
who  found  and  carried  away  treasure.  It  was  a  great 
surprise  to  me,  on  returning  to  the  United  States,  to  learn 
that  so  little  mention  had  been  made  of  these  captures  of 
such  enormous  quantities  of  bullion;  indeed,  up  to  the 
present,  I  have  never  met  any  one  who  had  even  heard 
of  it.* 

If  we  turn  about  and  follow  the  wall  westward,  only  a 
few  paces,  past  the  tower  on  which  we  saw  the  American 
flag  floating,  we  shall  be  within  the  section  of  the  city  oc- 
cupied by  the  French.  From  that  point  we  shall  look 
somewhat  east  of  north  over  the  center  of  the  conquered 
city.  Our  position  and  field  of  vision  is  given  on  the  map 
by  the  red  lines  which  start  from  the  south  wall,  a  short 
distance  west  of  the  South  Gate,  and  branch  northeast. 
The  number  61  is  given  at  the  starting  point  of  these  lines 
and  at  their  ends  on  the  map  margin. 

*  From  the  New  York  Tribune  of  March  11,   1Q02,  we  quote  the  following 
"According  to  a  dispatch  from  Washington  dated  January  23,  Secretary  Hay  that 
day  handed  to  Minister  Wu-Ting-Fang  a  draft  on  the  United  States  Treasury  for 
$376,600.  the  value  of  the  silver  bullion  captured  by  American  marines  at  Tien 
tsin." — The  Publishbrs. 


232  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

6t.  l/ooking  North  from  South  Gate  over  the  Burning 
City,  just  after  its  Occupation  by  the  Allies, 
Tien-tsin* 

For  several  days  after  the  city  was  taken,  destructive 
fires  broke  out  in  different  parts,  and  it  was  reported  that 
the  entire  city  was  to  be  destroyed,  and  from  the  pre- 
cipitate  flight  of  the  terror  stricken  inhabitants,  one  could 
not  but  believe  that  such  notice  had  been  served  upon 
them.  At  every  gate,  men,  women  and  children  were 
trampling  and  jostling  in  their  efforts  to  escape  to  the 
country  and  to  outlying  villages.  The  dead  remained  for 
days  on  the  streets  and  within  the  deserted  homes.  Here 
you  can  see  homes  going  up  in  flame  and  smoke,  and  the 
homeless  people  sitting  around  awaiting  permission  from 
the  French  guards  to  leave  the  city.  These  poor  people 
are  probably  in  no  way  responsible  for  the  Boxer  uprising, 
yet  they  have  lost  home  and  all  save  these  paltry  bundles, 
and  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  have  shared  this 
ruthless  fate.  From  here  you  can  only  see  at  a  distance 
the  ravages  of  flame ;  you  cannot  see  within  those  homes 
and  shops  the  ravages  of  human  hands  as  I  saw  them 
after  leaving  this  spot  and  passing  through  streets  near 
those  all-devouring  elements.  Doors  were  smashed ;  shops 
were  entered  and  plundered;  men  and  women  were  flee- 
ing, carrying  their  precious  heirlooms — their  jewels,  their 
furs,  their  silks,  their  embroidery,  their  money.  These 
much-prized  valuables  were  snatched  from  them,  and  they 
dared  not  protest ;  they  could  not  protest ;  they  could  not 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  233 

even  tell  that  they  were  not  Boxers;  but  their  lives  were 
dearer  than  their  most  cherished  jade-stones,  and  they 
were  even  thankful  to  escape  with  life  and  honor.  One's 
property  depreciates  wonderfully  when  his  life  is  imper- 
iled. I  saw  native  women  surrender  their  dearest  belong- 
ings almost  in  a  spirit  of  gratitude  that  life  was  not  de- 
manded. Looting  from  an  enemy  bent  on  taking  your 
life  as  well  as  your  property  is  justifiable  by  a  natural  quid 
pro  quo  equivalency,  or  by  the  law  of  reprisal,  as  well  as 
by  the  Old  Testament  code ;  but  indiscriminate  plunder  of 
friend  and  foe  is  robbery,  and  robbery  is  robbery  even 
in  war.  The  looting  by  the  Allies  was  not  confined  to  the 
enemy,  nor  even  to  the  Chinese,  but  extended  to  the  Euro- 
pean settlement,  where  temporarily  vacated  homes  of 
Europeans  were  entered  and  plundered.  Shamefully 
looted  China  has  had  a  lesson  in  the  ethics  of  Christian 
armies  she  will  not  soon  forget.  Li  Hung  Chang  said  to 
a  friend  of  mine  that  he  had  been  reading  up  the  Mosaic 
decalogue  of  the  Christians,  and  suggested  that  the  eighth 
commandment  should  be  amended  to  read,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  steal,  but  thou  mayst  loot."  I  have  here  mentioned 
looting  because  that  which  I  witnessed  and  which  I  shall 
not  soon  forget  occurred  near  where  you  see  this  fire  burn- 
ing. 

After  an  interval  of  three  days  we  return  to  the  South 
Gate  and  stand  again  on  the  wall  over  the  gate  and  look 
directly  north,  toward  the  heart  of  the  city.  See  red 
lines  connected  with  the  number  62  on  the  map. 


234  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

6g.    Old  Tien-tsin,  showing  Terrible  Destruction  caused 
by  Bombardment  and  Fire— Tien-tsin. 

There  is  a  sadness  about  a  deserted  home;  there  is  a 
greater  sadness  about  a  deserted  city  or  village.  Before 
us  lies  a  great  city,  not  only  deserted,  but  sacked,  looted, 
and  in  ashes,  by  Christian  armies.  Only  a  few  days  be- 
fore this  stereograph  was  made  this  street  and  the  sur- 
rounding houses  were  a  holocaust  of  human  life.  A  day 
later  that  long  thoroughfare  was  a  slow-moving  line  of 
homeless,  weeping  human  beings — their  homes  in  ashes, 
without  food,  friendless,  and,  in  many  cases,  their  kindred 
left  charred  in  the  ruins  of  their  homes.  This  is  not  of 
the  imagination;  all  that  I  mention  I  saw.  There  were 
mothers  with  babes;  there  were  aged  men  and  women 
supported  by  younger  members  of  the  family ;  there  were 
wounded  borne  on  wheelbarrows,  when  it  was  their  for- 
tune to  have  friends;  otherwise,  they  were  left  to  die.  I 
saw  one  poor  fellow,  whose  leg  had  been  shattered  by  a 
bullet,  painfully  hitching  himself  along  by  inches,  drag- 
ging the  broken  limb,  while  the  bone  protruded  from  the 
wound.  At  the  same  time,  this  street  was  strewn  with 
corpses ;  those  of  persons  asphyxiated  by  the  fatal  gases 
of  the  lyddite  shells  could  easily  be  distinguished  by  the 
yellow  discoloration  of  the  skin.  Lily-feet,  which  were 
.^o  e\.pensive  at  Shanghai,  were  here  the  appendages  of 
mangled  corpses  that  had  no  more  consideration  than  the 
carcasses  of  dogs,  which  also  lined  the  streets;  but  the 
camera  cannot  portray  nor  the  pen  describe  those  heart- 
rending scenes  along  this  narrow  street  after  the  battle. 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  235 

Now  it  is  a  pathetic  scene  of  desolation.  The  homeless, 
starving  multitudes  have  fled.  You  see  two  coolies  with 
wheelbarrows ;  these  have  been  allowed  to  pass  the  guards 
to  gather  up  scraps  of  worthless  iron,  or  something  of  no 
value  from  the  ruins.  You  see  also  a  woman  who  has 
been  allowed  to  pass  within  the  gates ;  we  can  only  con- 
jecture her  mission ;  it  is,  doubtless,  an  urgent  one,  may 
be,  to  search  for  valuable  property  or  missing  friends. 
Nothing  less  would  tempt  her  to  return  at  this  time.  Be- 
sides being  a  sad  picture  of  a  pillaged  and  deserted  city, 
you  can  see  the  character  of  its  architecture;  its  situation 
on  a  level  plain ;  its  low  one-story  brick  buildings  and 
narrow  streets,  this  being  one  of  the  principal  thorough- 
fares. You  see  the  gate  and  tower  beyond.  Such  gates 
and  towers  usually  denote  the  intersection  of  important 
streets. 

This  street  is  the  boundary  between  the  American  and 
French  sections  of  the  city.  The  transverse  street,  at  the 
tower,  is  the  northern  limit  of  these  districts. 

We  saw  on  the  city  wall  two  dead  Boxers;  you  may 
wish  to  witness  a  closer  view  of  live  specimens,  and  I 
think  i  promised  you  such  a  privilege  on  our  way  to  the 
north.  We  will  therefore  leave  the  Native  City  and  return 
to  the  European  settlement,  where  we  shall  be  able  to  see 
about  fifty. 

65.  Some  of  China's  Trouble-makers — Boxer  Prisoners 
Captured  and  Brought  in  by  the  6th  U.  S.  Cav- 
alry, Tien-tsin. 

Some  time  after  the  capture  of  the  city  of  Tien-tsin  it 

was  learned  that  a  large  force  of  Boxers  were  advancing 


236  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

from  the  southwest,  and  had  reached  a  place  only  ten  miles 
away.  Some  apprehension  was  felt  about  a  concerted 
attempt  to  recapture  the  Native  City  and  attack  the  settle- 
ment. The  gims  which  had  been  used  against  the  Native 
City  were  mounted  on  the  mud-wall  and  trained  in  the 
direction  of  the  threatened  advance.  Breastworks  were 
thrown  up  along  the  crest  of  the  wall  and  every  prepara- 
tion made  to  resist  any  force  which  might  be  brought 
against  them.  Even  if  the  whole  army  which  had  fled 
from  the  city  should  return  with  reenforcements,  the  Al- 
lies intrenched  behind  the  mud- wall  were  confident  they 
could  repel  it  and  seemed  quite  anxious  that  an  attack 
might  be  made.  No  Boxers  appeared,  however,  and  so, 
instead,  an  expedition  was  made  in  the  direction  of  the 
rumored  advance.  The  force  sent  out  included  the  U.  S. 
Sixth  Cavalry  and  a  company  of  Indian  Lancers.  They 
met  a  considerable  number  of  the  enemy,  which  they  at- 
tacked and  routed.  The  boys  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry  re- 
turned in  great  elation  of  spirits.  It  was  to  them  a  bap- 
tism of  Chinese  fire  and  they  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  They 
brought  in  many  trophies,  such  as  spears,  knives  and 
flags  and  about  fifty  prisoners.  These  are  the  prisoners 
before  us.  We  see  some  of  the  boys  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry 
beyond  them;  those  lads  assisted  me  in  securing  this 
stereograph.  There  seemed  to  be  some  uncertainty  as 
to  whether  all  of  these  captives  were  Boxers.  Boxers 
often  doff  their  distinctive  uniform  for  the  ordinary 
coolie's  or  peasant's  garb  when  about  to  be  captured ;  so 
that  it  is  not  always  easy  to  know  a  metamorphosed 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  237 

Boxer  from  a  common  coolie.     The  boys  said  they  knew 
one  was  a  genuine  Boxer  because  he  carried  a  weapon; 
at  the  same  time  one  of  the  cavalrymen  grabbed  the 
"  real  thing "  by  the  pigtail   and  tugged  him  into  the 
foreground  and  placed  him  near  the  camera  as  you  see, 
saying  at  the  same  time:  "  You  can  tell  by  his  bloomin' 
squint  that  he's  a  bloody  warrior."     The  English  and 
American  soldiers  were  quite  fraternal  in  China,  hence 
the  adoption  of  English  slang.     This  is  truly  a  dusky 
and  unattractive  brood.     One  would  scarcely  expect  to 
find  natives  of  Borneo  or  the  Fiji  Islands  more  barbarous 
in  appearance ;  and  it  is  well  known  that  a  great  propor- 
tion of  the  Boxer  organization  is  of  this  sort ;  indeed,  we 
may  even  say  by  far  the  larger  half  of  the  population  of 
the  empire  is  of  this  low,  poor,  coolie  class.     How  dark- 
skinned,  how  ill-clad,  how  lacking  in  intelligence,  how 
dull,  morose,  miserable  and  vicious  they  appear!     This 
view  was  made  during  a  very  hot  day  in  a  torrid  sun; 
and  still  they  sit  here  with  their  heads  shaven  and  uncov- 
ered without  a  sign  of  discomfort.     None  of  the  group 
endeavors  to  escape  the  camera ;  they  are  surrounded  by 
guards;   they  are  helpless  and  humble.     They  are  quite 
devoid  of  the  insolent  boldness  that  characterizes  the 
mountain  tribes  in  the  Province  of  Hunan;    they  are 
prisoners  and  do  not  yet  know  their  fate.     To-morrow 
they  may  be  shot;   but  whether  it  is  bambooing,  shoot- 
ing or  beheading,  one  fellow   decides  he  will  take  a 
smoke. 

We  are  but  a  short   distance  from  the   Pei-ho    (see 


238  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

number  63  in  red  in  the  German  Concession  on  the  map). 
Leaving  the  Boxers  with  the  guards,  let  us  stroll  to  the 
river,  where  we  may  witness  a  novelty  in  transportation. 
Find  the  red  lines  and  the  number  64  in  red  a  few  blocks 
further  north  on  the  map. 

64.  Wheelbarrow  Transportation,  China's  Best  and 
Cheapest  Freighters— At  the  Boat-landing,  Tien- 
tsin. 

The  wheelbarrow  is  both  the  cart  and  the  carriage  of 
northern  China ;  it  is  one  of  the  few  things  that  has  at- 
tained a  higher  development  in  China  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world.  It  has  reached  the  dignity  of  a  com- 
mercial institution.  You  can  see  in  those  before  us  the 
unusual  construction,  the  great  size  of  the  wheel  which 
is  placed  in  the  center  of  a  heavy  frame  which  projects  in 
all  directions;  observe  also  how  far  apart  the  handle- 
bars are  placed  in  order  to  giver  power  to  balance.  A 
rope  or  strap  extends  from  the  handle-bars  over  the 
man's  shoulders ;  this  gives  power  of  equilibrium  and 
distribution  of  weight.  The  upper  part  of  the  wheel  is 
protected  by  a  frame.  A  system  of  ropes  is  used  to  bind 
on  bulky  cargoes.  Some  are  adapted  to  carrying  pas- 
sengers, and  some  chiefly  for  heavy  loads  of  cargo  of  any 
kind.  I  have  seen  five  passengers  in  one  barrow.  Pas- 
sengers are  often  carried  between  Shanghai  and  Pekin,  a 
distance  of  six  hundred  miles.  One  man  will  sometimes 
carry  on  his  barrow  a  half  ton  of  cargo.  A  strong  wheel- 
barrow coolie  will  carry  two  passengers  and  make  twenty 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  239 

miles  a  day  on  a  daily  allowance  of  twenty  cents ;  that 
would  be  ten  cents  for  each  passenger,  or  one-half  cent 
per  mile  about  one-fourth  the  lowest  rates  on  any  of  our 
railways.  Why  should  a  Chinaman  favor  the  introduc- 
tion of  railways? 

At  Shanghai  we  referred  to  the  wheelbarrow  as  a  pas- 
senger vehicle,  while  here  you  may  see  it  used  in  transport- 
ing all  kinds  of  commodities.  They  have  been  brought 
into  requisition  in  great  numbers  by  the  different  nations 
to  transport  army  stores  from  the  boat-landing  at  the  river 
front  to  the  different  places  of  encampment  or  to  storage 
places  for  supplies.  This  small  army  of  wheelbarrows  is 
in  control  of  the  Japanese,  as  you  may  see  by  the  flag 
borne  by  one  of  them ;  a  very  small  flag  is  also  attached 
to  the  front  of  each  barrow — a  flag  with  a  white  field  and 
a  black  disk  in  the  center.  You  may  have  some  idea  of 
the  general  use  into  which  they  are  brought  when  you 
remember  that  all  the  armies  are  supplied  in  the  same 
way.  These  wheelbarrow  men  are  often  careless  about 
keeping  the  bearings  of  the  wheels  lubricated,  and  when 
such  is  the  case  the  creaking  noise  under  a  heavy  burden 
is  excruciating.  Try  to  imagine  this  entire  force  tearing 
on  with  heavy  loads  and  dry  axles,  and  you  may  realize 
the  susceptibilities  of  the  human  tympanum  in  relation 
to  harmony  and  discord.  But  the  most  interesting  thing 
about  these  quaint  motors  is,  that  in  case  you  have  a 
quantity  of  merchandise  to  be  moved  from  one  point  to 
another  you  can  have  it  done  by  these  coolies  with  their 
barrows  for  much  less  than  it  would  cost  you  by  modem 


240  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

carts,  trucks,  wagons  or  railways,  and  done  with  greater 
care  and  less  destruction  to  the  goods  transported. 

Notice  the  building  on  our  left  with  the  American  flag 
flying  over  it;    it  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Quarter- 
master's Department,  and  I  call  your  attention  to  it  be- 
cause when  I  am  ready  to  start  for  Pekin  I  must  come  to 
this  office  and  present  a  letter  to  General  Chaffee  from 
the   State  Department  at  Washington  in  order  to  get 
from  him  a  permit  for  transportation  on  one  of  the  com- 
mandeered small  cargo  junks  which  sail  from  the  landing 
before  that  office.     You  can  see  some  of  these  boats  now 
at  the  landing  beyond  that  great  moimd  of  army  supplies 
over  which  the  flag  is  flying.    That  is  the  point  from 
which  we  are  to  sail  when  we  leave  Tien-tsin.     We  are 
here  looking  up  the  Pei-ho.    You  will  notice  two  of  our 
own  soldier  boys  whose  free  and  easy  manner  and  com- 
fortable  negligee   has   occasionally   elicited   unfavorable 
criticism  from  foreigners,  this  rough  and  ready  undress 
being  regarded  as  slovenly  and  unmilitary,  especially  in 
parade,  but  we  believe  in  sacrificing  appearance  for  the 
best  fighting  conditions.     These  two  are  typical  American 
soldiers  off  duty.     They  scrambled  to  balance  them- 
selves on  this  perch ;    they  swore  at  the  coolie  to  "  hold 
still  " ;  they  wanted  to  go  into  pictorial  history,  and  here 
they  are — statuesque  as  you  please,  with  the  drollest  of 
wheelbarrows  for  a  pedestal.     Before  coming  here  we 
saw  the  Boxer  prisoners ;  here  we  see,  beside  the  wheel- 
barrows, the  common  coolie ;  they  appear  in  no  way  dif- 
ferent from  the  Boxers,  showing  how  largely  the  I-Ho- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  24 1 

Chuan  is  made  up  of  the  lower  element  of  the  population. 
From  where  we  are  standing  we  stroll  directly  up  the 
river  for  a  mile,  cross  to  the  op>posite  shore  and  enter  a 
mile  further  on  a  native  village  in  which  many  of  the 
native  Boxers  were  sheltered  during  the  first  attacks  on 
the  settlement.  On  the  map  see  number  65  in  red  near 
the  second  eastward  bend  of  the  river. 

65.  Family  of  the  I^ower  Class  "  Cbowing  "  in  Their 
Home,  Paitially  Destroyed  during  the  Siege, 
Tien-tsin. 

Here,  as  usual,  we  find  the  house  partially  destroyed ; 
but  as  the  buildings  are  chiefly  of  clay  and  unburned 
brick,  many  of  them  furnished  little  fuel  for  the  flames 
and  so  escaped  destruction.  The  inhabitants  are  now  re- 
turning to  reoccupy  their  old  haunts  when  found  habit- 
able, and  we  find  this  family  of  the  lower  class  "  chow- 
ing  "  after  their  wonted  fashion.  Whether  afraid  of  the 
camera  or. not,  they  are  now  under  the  Allies  and  neces- 
sity has  no  choice;  they  meekly  do  our  bidding.  The 
"  old  woman  "  has  a  place  at  the  end  of  the  table.  They 
are  eating  a  regular  meal ;  it  is  nondescript  in  the  na- 
ture of  its  victuals.  I  cannot  describe  dishes  that  are  al- 
together mystery;  there  is  rice,  of  course,  and  some- 
thing which  I  imagine  has  once  been  fish ;  there  are 
vegetables  in  small  pieces  in  liquid.  There  are  no  knives 
nor  forks  on  the  table,  nor  chairs  around  it,  but  of  course 
we  see  the  inevitable  chop-sticks  or  "  nimble  lads,"  as 
their  Chinese  name  implies.     The  name  is  appropriate, 


242  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

for  the  dexterity  with  which  the  Chinese  handle  these  lit- 
tle straight  sticks  is  marvelous ;  they  will  pick  up  a  single 
grain  of  rice  between  the  ends  of  these  sticks  as  readily 
as  we  could  do  it  with  a  spoon. 

Do  not  forget  that  we  are  here  looking  at  a  family 
of  the  lower  class.  Among  the  upper  class  a  family  at  a 
meal  would  present  a  different  appearance;  there 
would  be  fine  dress,  fine  furniture  and  fine  food  after  its 
order.  Judged  by  some  writers,  the  Chinese  have  been 
placed  next  to  the  French  as  cooks,  and  particularly  as 
culinary  economists.  Every  Westerner  is  impressed  by 
the  simplicity  of  their  food.  Probably  this  denotes  wis- 
dom more  than  it  does  scarcity,  for  in  Western  lands  also 
we  often  find  the  healthiest  and  most  robust  among  the 
plain  livers.  In  these  days  when  the  enlightened  nations, 
so-called,  are  studying  the  best  means  of  feeding  the 
greatest  number  at  the  smallest  cost,  it  is  interesting  to 
learn  an  undoubted  fact  that  it  is  possible  in  China  in 
ordinary  times  to  furnish  an  abundance  of  food  of  whole- 
some quality  at  a  cost  of  two  cents  a  day  for  each  adult 
person.  Nor  is  this  the  minimum,  for  it  is  claimed  by 
eminent  authorities  that  during  famines  great  numbers 
have  been  maintained  on  one  and  one-half  cents  a  day. 
Before  us  is  a  family  of  six,  and  I  doubt  whether  the  daily 
expense  of  that  family  exceeds  ten  cents. 

Before  we  leave  them,  have  you  noticed  that  they  sit 
in  the  hottest  midsummer  sun,  and,  like  all  others  among 
the  lowly  whom  we  have  been  studying,  they  are  without 
head  cover?     Have  you  noticed  the  mottled  scalp  of  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  243 

boy  who  sits  with  his  back  toward  us?  That  appearance 
is  very  common  among  the  poor ;  but  whether  from  scalp 
disease  or  the  encampments  of  insect  colonies,  I  can  only 
surmise.  Some  girls  peered  from  small  apertures  in 
these  lowly  homes,  and  I  tried  to  persuade  them  to  join 
this  "  chowing  "  band ;  they  tittered  and  withdrew,  and  I 
did  not  persist,  as  they  would  not  have  added  much  to  the 
beauty  of  the  six  already  before  us.  It  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary to  suggest  that  there  is  probably  no  boastful  rivalry 
between  their  wardrobe  and  their  cupboard ;  but  while  we 
look  upon  their  poverty  and  lowly  home,  we  must  not  for- 
get Gray's  beautiful  lines : 

"Let  not   ambition  mark  their  useful  toil, 
Their  homely  joys  and  destiny  obscure." 

In  the  course  of  our  journeyings  I  have  alluded  before 
to  the  great  amount  of  arable  land  occupied  by  graves. 
Assvmiing  the  population  of  China  to  be  four  hundred 
millions,  and  remembering  that  an  equal  number  re- 
quires burial  every  forty  or  fifty  years,  or  that  the  amount 
of  productive  land  must  be  reduced  every  fifty  years  by 
the  area  of  four  hundred  million  graves,  we  can  possibly 
understand  how  graves  are  interfering  with  agriculture 
and  the  food  supply.  Let  us  walk  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
Native  City  just  beyond  the  battle-field,  where  we  can  see 
how  thickly  the  mounds  of  the  dead  are  scattered  over 
the  plain.  On  the  map  the  red  lines  branching  toward 
the  northeast  from  the  number  66,  a  half-mile  to  the 
west  of  the  Native  City,  shows  our  position. 


244  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

66.  Reverent  bnt  Prejudicial  Ancestor  Worship — One 
of  China's  Immense  Cemeteries,  which  seri- 
onsly  licssen  Her  Productive  hand  Area. 

This  is  not  exactly  a  potter's  field ;  it  is  the  burial  place 
of  the  common  people.  We  do  not  see  here  the  graves  of 
the  better  class,  for  they  often  have  private  graveyards 
within  their  own  domain.  These  are  humble  graves,  sim- 
ple mounds  covering  heavy  wooden  coffins.  They  are 
sacredly  preserved;  they  have  been  located  by  geomancy 
and  that  has  first  right,  and  land  tenure  second.  Sup- 
pose we  allow  a  square  rod  for  two  graves  and  that  only 
four  hundred  million  burials  occur  every  fifty  years ;  that 
would  diminish  the  production  area  one  and  one-half  mil- 
lion acres  every  half  century.  Can  we  wonder  then  that 
there  is  so  much  complaint  because  inviolable  sepulture 
encroaches  so  heavily  upon  productive  lands.  Wherever 
possible,  barren  slopes  and  unproductive  places  are  set 
apart  for  cemeteries,  but  this  is  frequently  not  practicable. 
Mortuary  buildings  are  erected  in  which  the  wealthy  place 
their  dead,  at  least,  temporarily.  Near  Tien-tsin  I  saw 
buildings  inclosed  by  brick  walls  in  which  many  coffins 
stood  above  ground  quite  exposed.  These  coffins  had 
been  burst  open  and  rifled  by  some  of  the  foreign  soldiers. 
The  bodies  were  tumbled  out  to  be  stripped  of  their  jewels 
and  trinkets;  they  were  robed  in  their  best  apparel  and 
well  preserved,  as  though  partially  mummified.  It  is 
known  that  they  are  buried  with  some  of  their  precious 
belongings,  and  this  tempted  the  greed  of  some  of  the  un- 
principled soldiery.     The  coffins  are  made  of  plank  three 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  245 

and  four  inches  thick,  carefully  sealed.  In  the  bottom  is 
placed  a  quantity  of  quicklime;  the  body  is  swathed  in  a 
great  amount  of  cotton,  and  only  a  slight  odor  escaped 
from  these  newly-opened  coffins.  The  dead  are  kept  at 
least  forty-nine  days  before  interment ;  this  is  to  give  the 
geomancers  ample  time  to  locate  a  lucky  burial  site.  Cof- 
fins are  often  secured  irrespective  of  any  imminent  pros- 
pects of  death ;  indeed,  they  are  always  regarded  as  a  very 
handsome  and  appropriate  birthday  gift.  Funeral  cus- 
toms in  China  are  so  numerous  and  strange  that  chapters 
might  be  devoted  to  an  account  of  them ;  one  consists  in 
scattering  paper  money  (small  tin-foil  imitations  of  syce) 
along  the  road  as  the.  funeral  procession  advances,  in 
order  to  appease  the  cupidity  of  straggling  ghosts  that 
may  haunt  the  way.  We  see  no  tablets  nor  monuments  to 
mark  these  last  resting-places  of  the  dead.  The  ap- 
proaches to  the  tombs  of  nobles,  as  we  observed  at  Nan- 
kin, are  often  marked  by  rows  of  stone  figures. 

You  see  in  the  distance  what  appears  to  be  a  small 
pagoda,  and  beyond  a  small  tower;  they  both  might  be 
called  towers  of  silence ;  but  they  are  really  baby-towers ; 
that  is,  they  are  towers  in  which  babes  are  buried,  or 
rather  pitched.  All  babes  under  one  year  of  age  at  death 
are  wrapped  in  cloths,  bound  around  with  strings,  and 
thrown  into  these  towers.  It  may  even  be  suspected  that 
these  baby-towers  may  be  the  bourne  of  many  girl-babes 
before  death ;  you  know  girl  infanticide  is  not  uncommon, 
and  here  is  facile  modus.  In  illustration  of  how  prevalent 
is  the  destruction  of  girl-babes,  one  writer  tells  about  see- 


346  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

ing  the  following  notice  posted  at  the  edge  of  a  pond: 
"  Girls  may  not  be  drowned  here." 

There  is  a  shepherd  here  among  the  graves  with  his  lit- 
tle flock ;  very  little  mutton  is  eaten  in  China,  so  it  is  quite 
probable  that  these  mutton-subjects  are  kept  for  their 
wool. 

Only  fifty  yards  to  the  left  of  where  we  stand  I  wit- 
nessed a  spectacle  I  will  not  soon  forget,  a  scene  too 
shocking  to  be  shown  to  the  world  indiscriminately.  It 
was  the  shooting  of  two  Chinamen  by  the  French  and 
the  beheading  of  two  others  by  the  Japanese ;  the  former 
were  convicted  of  stealing,  the  latter  of  being  Boxers. 
The  former  were  bound  to  posts  and  shot ;  the  latter  were 
made  to  stand  among  these  graves  while  a  shallow  pit  was 
dug  in  their  presence,  beside  one  of  these  mounds ;  this 
shallow  muddy  hole  was  to  be  the  one  grave  for  the  two 
convicts.  They  were  made  to  kneel  on  the  mound  looking 
down  into  the  grave  prepared  for  them,  so  that  when  the 
fatal  blow  was  struck  they  would  fall  therein.  Only  a 
few  of  us  had  learned  the  hour  of  execution  and  were 
present,  among  us  an  American  doctor  who,  when  this 
grave  was  being  dug  and  the  two  poor  fellows  stood  near 
by,  held  the  hand  of  one,  feeling  his  pulse.  Some  one 
queries  :  "  Normal,  doctor?  "  "  One  hundred  and  twenty- 
six,"  replied  the  physician;  and  yet  the  doomed  man 
showed  no  outward  mental  disturbance.  Another,  speak- 
ing his  language,  asked  him  if  he  was  a  Boxer,  to  which 
he  replied  meekly  and  with  mysterious  resignation,  "  I  am 
no  Boxer ;  all  the  village  people  hereabouts  know  me."     I 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  347 

was  told  afterward  that  this  sympathetic  medical  man, 
who  was  not  unfamiliar  with  blood,  was  so  disturbed  by 
this  heartless  butchery  that  he  was  disqualified  for  duty 
for  several  days.  I  will  not  describe  this  spectacle  in  de- 
tail for  the  same  reason  that  I  do  not  present  a  view  of  it. 
It  is  too  grewsome  for  presentation  in  a  popular  series; 
yet  those  who  would  fully  realize  the  cruelties  and  bar- 
barities of  war  should  know  and  see ;  the  view  may  be  had 
of  the  publishers. 

The  most  famous  man  in  China,  the  ablest  statesman  in 
Asia,  the  second  richest  man  in  the  world  and  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  characters  in  history,  reached  Tien- 
tsin later  during  my  sojourn  in  China.  I  refer  to  Li 
Hung  Chang.  His  journey  from  Canton  to  the  north  was 
heralded  over  the  world.  The  great  intermediary  be- 
tween the  throne  of  China  and  the  foreigner,  so  often  de- 
graded and  then  reinstated,  passed  from  south  to  north 
like  a  sidereal  luminary  that  had  wandered  from  its  path, 
but  was  again  to  be  restored  to  its  true  place  in  the  heav- 
ens, or  as  peacemaker  to  the  Imperial  Court. 

67.  l,i  Hung  Chang,  China's  Greatest  Viceroy  and 
Diplomat — Photographed  in  His  Yamen,  Tien- 
tsin, September  37,  igoo. 

This  meek  and  bland-looking  old  man  who  sits  before 
you  was  at  this  time  the  talk  of  the  world — would  he  be 
allowed  to  land  at  Tien-tsin?  Would  he  be  reinstated? 
Would  he  be  authorized  to  negotiate  terms  of  peace?  He 
seemed  to  be  the  only  man  who  understood  this  great  in- 


248  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

temational  difficulty.  He  was  allowed  to  land.  He  occu- 
pied the  Viceroy's  Yamen  across  the  river  outside  the 
walled  city  (see  map  northeast  of  walled  city).  It  was 
important  to  obtain  a  stereoscopic  record  of  this  distin- 
guished personage.  Through  the  courtesy  of  an  Ameri- 
can doctor  who  desired  a  photograph  of  the  ex- Viceroy 
and  who  had  some  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Parks,  his  medi- 
cal adviser,  I  visited  the  Yamen.  His  Excellency  being 
engaged  with  important  matters  of  state,  kindly  consented 
to  sit  for  us  on  the  following  day  at  a  fixed  hour.  At  the 
hour  appointed  we  were  met  by  the  genial  Dr.  Parks, 
who,  as  soon  as  I  had  chosen  a  well-lighted  part  of  this 
court  in  the  Yamen,  had  servants  bring  out  this  finely  in- 
laid stand  and  the  chair  in  which  he  sits.  When  cameras 
were  placed  in  position  and  everything  in  perfect  readi- 
ness, his  chair-bearers  were  notified  and  he  was  brought 
from  his  rooms  in  his  official  chair  and  assisted  by  his  at- 
tendants to  the  chair  in  which  you  see  him.  He  greeted 
us  with  a  pleasant  smile  and  spoke  to  us  freely  through 
Dr.  Parks  as  interpreter.  His  natural  simplicity  and  the 
entire  absence  of  affected  importance  was  quite  fasci- 
nating; kingcraft  is  nearly  extinct;  the  time  when  a 
sovereign  could  make  his  subject  revere  him  as  a  demigod 
belongs  to  the  past,  A  truly  great  man  has  no  occasion  to 
pretend  greatness;  only  those  who  are  not  great  find  it 
necessary  to  resort  to  affectation.  Neither  Earl  Li's  great 
wealth  nor  his  great  attainments  have  in  any  degree  left  a 
trace  of  self-importance  in  his  manner.  His  left  eye  has 
a  quizzical  droop  which  seems  to  be  the  premonition  of  an 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  249 

ever-ready  smile.  He  personifies  the  simplicity  and  nat- 
uralness of  a  truly  great  mind.  He  is  vigorous  in  intel- 
lect, but  somewhat  feeble  in  his  limbs ;  he  is  supported  to 
and  from  his  palanquin.  He  is  richly  dressed  in  heavy 
brocaded  satin.  In  the  front  of  his  cap  you  see  an  orna- 
ment ;  it  is  a  circle  of  pearls  around  a  large  ruby.  When 
I  asked  Dr.  Parks  if  he  could  remove  the  cap  of  his  Excel- 
lency for  one  stereograph,  the  doctor  explained  to  him  and 
removed  the  cap.  This  caused  Earl  Li  to  smile  as  though 
he  would  have  said :  "  What  can  they  want  with  my  bald 
pate?"  Even  that  fine  blackwood  table,  inlaid  with 
mother-of-pearl,  upon  which  his  arm  rests,  is  worth  notic- 
ing ;  this  style  of  furniture  is  much  used  by  the  wealthy. 

Nearly  all  the  world  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  lead- 
ing events  in  the  life  of  this  Bismarck  of  the  Orient ;  but 
for  those  who  may  not  be,  I  will  take  the  following  resume 
from  "  The  Chinese  Empire  Past  and  Present." 

"  The  modern  development  of  China  is  due  more  to  Li 
Hung  Chang  than  to  any  other  single  agency.  He  is  im- 
mensely wealthy  and  has  held  nearly  every  post  of  honor 
that  China  could  give  him,  though  likewise  at  irregular 
intervals,  he  has  been  deprived  of  all  position  and  power ; 
his  "  yellow  jacket  "  has  been  taken  from  him,  and  his 
head  has  been  in  danger.  He  was  born  in  1819  of  pure 
Chinese  blood.  In  three  successive  literary  examinations 
he  stood  first,  and  in  1847  was  enrolled  in  the  Hanlin  or 
Imperial  Academy,  the  highest  literary  degree  in  the  em- 
pire. He  was  an  official  in  the  Imperial  printing  office 
when  the  T.aiping  Rebellion  broke  out.     In  this  war  he  be- 


250  CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

came  prominent  and  was  appointed  governor.  He  imme- 
diately saw  the  value  of  European  military  organization 
and  equipment  and  formed  the  "  ever-victorious  Force,"  a 
Chinese  Corps,  armed,  drilled  and  disciplined  according  to 
European  fashion,  first  under  the  direction  of  the  Ameri- 
can, Ward,  and  then  of  the  celebrated  Gordon.  Hence- 
forth Li  threw  all  his  force  and  influence  into  the  adoption 
in  China  of  Western  arts  and  sciences. 

*'  In  1870  he  was  made  viceroy  of  Chili,  the  province  in 
which  Pekin  is  located. 

"  In  1872  he  had  thirty  Chinese  boys  sent  to  the  United 
States  to  be  educated,  and  established  a  college  in  Pekin, 
under  Dr.  W.  H.  P.  Martin. 

"  In  1880  he  took  advantage  of  the  Russian  war  scare  to 
improve  the  army  and  navy  and  establish  the  telegraph, 
which  now  comprises  a  network  of  over  ten  thousand 
miles.  Simultaneously  he  worked  for  railroads.  A  short 
line  had  been  built  from  Shanghai  to  Wusung,  but  this 
was  bought  and  dismantled  the  next  year  by  the  govern- 
ment. Li  maintained,  however,  the  agitation  for  railways 
until  in  1888,  when  an  active  beginning  was  made,  and  the 
work  has  gone  steadily  on  ever  since.  In  1877  he  bought 
four  ironclads  just  built  in  England  for  the  royal  navy, 
and  so  laid  the  foundation  for  the  present  Chinese  mod- 
em navy.  He  has  likewise  so  cleverly  managed  diplo- 
matic relations  with  France  upon  their  nominal  victory  in 
the  war  in  1884-85  over  Formosa,  that  China  got  decided- 
ly the  best  of  it  in  the  net  result. 

"  Under  his  encouragement  joint  stock  companies  have 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  25 1 

been  organized  for  various  industrial  enterprises,  such  as 
silk,  cotton,  wool,  glass  and  iron  manufactures. 

"  Li  Hung  Chang  belongs  to  the  native  party,  and  is 
ready  to  resist  the  encroachments  of  foreign  nations  with 
all  the  arts  of  diplomacy  at  his  command." 

With  a  single  spark  of  patriotism  in  his  breast,  how  can 
he  feel  otherwise  ?  He  favors  progress  and  development ; 
but  how  can  he  look  with  favor  and  equanimity  upon  for- 
eign encroachment  and  the  exploitation  of  his  native  land 
bv  nations  whose  customs  and  institutions  he  does  not  like. 
China  has  been  the  victim  of  exploitation  and  commer- 
cialism for  centuries,  and  that  because  she  is  rich  in  re- 
sources, old-fashioned  and  unwarlike. 

If  she  had  developed  the  arts  of  war  as  long  and  as  well 
as  she  has  the  arts  of  peace,  the  foreign  nations,  even  the 
allied  foreign  nations,  would  not  have  dared  to  coerce 
treaty  ports  and  naval  stations  in  her  borders,  or  to  thrust 
a  new  religion  and  a  new  civilization  upon  her.  There  is 
much  of  the  bully  and  the  child  about  all  these  affairs  in 
China. 

When  might  makes  right,  justice  is  usually  out  of  the 
balance,  and  there  is  apt  to  be  greed  and  cowardice  in  its 
place. 

I  have  no  special  love  for  the  Chinese,  but  it  does  not 
seem  to  me  that  they  get  fair  play.  The  average  Euro- 
pean and  the  average  American  knows  no  more  about  the 
Chinese  people  than  he  does  about  the  possible  inhabitants 
of  the  stellar  worlds. 

The  Boxer  uprising  was  stupid  and  barbarous.     The 


252  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

retaliation  by  the  so-called  Christian  armies  was  often 
characterized  by  rape,  plunder,  cruelty,  and  enormous  in- 
demnities dictated  by  allied  might.  The  Golden  Rule  has 
been  quite  lost  sight  of  in  the  ravages  of  trade,  greed  and 
tyranny.  What  would  we  think  if  England  should  de- 
mand a  cession  of  territory  on  Casco  Bay  that  she  might 
have  a  winter  port  for  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway? 
And  then,  if  Russia  should  demand  a  naval  station  on 
Massachusetts  Bay  to  equalize  strategic  points?  And 
again,  if  these  demands  should  be  followed  by  one  from 
Germany  for  a  grant  of  territory  in  Plymouth  harbor,  be- 
cause some  alien  countryman  had  been  killed  by  irrespon- 
sible ruffians  at  Worcester  ?  I  hope  this  parallel  is  not  al- 
together unfair.     It  ought,  at  least,  to  be  suggestive. 

When  we  had  finished  our  stereographs  from  this  posi- 
tion we  asked  Dr.  Parks  that  His  Excellency  might  be 
carried  through  the  open  court  into  bright  sunlight  in  or- 
der that  we  might  obtain  a  view  of  him  in  his  official 
chair.  This  was  done,  and  as  we  pressed  the  bulb  and 
lifted  our  hats,  the  venerable  statesman  smiled  acknowl- 
edgments and  was  borne  to  his  spacious  rooms  within 
the  Yamen. 

A  most  exasperating  delay  in  the  delivery  of  my  pho- 
tographic plates  kept  me  in  Tien-tsin  for  weeks  after  the 
battle.  Boxes  of  plates  which  arrived  at  Shanghai  June 
24  did  not  reach  me  until  the  middle  of  September.  In 
the  meantime  many  additional  forces  had  arrived,  among 
them  many  additional  troops  from  Germany,  from  India, 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  253 

from  Japan  and  Russia.  The  Legations  in  Pekin  had 
been  practically  in  a  state  of  siege  since  June.  In  the 
early  part  of  August  the  greatly  increased  force  of  the 
Allies  started  for  Pekin.  On  the  way  they  fought  the 
battles  of  Peitsang  and  Yangtsun,  and  burned  the  city  of 
Tung-Chow  and  all  the  villages  left  standing  by  the  Box- 
ers in  their  line  of  march. 

This  march  of  the  allied  troops  between  Tien-tsin  and 
Pekin  occupied  ten  days,  and  they  entered  the  latter  place 
on  August  15,  just  a  month  and  a  day  after  the  capture 
of  the  former  city.  Now  that  about  twenty  thousand 
troops  were  quartered  in  the  Imperial  capital,  the  trans- 
portation of  vast  quantities  of  army  stores  to  that  place 
was  necessary.  To  accomplish  this  the  different  armies 
requisitioned  great  numbers  of  native  junks,  and  these 
plied  constantly  between  Tien-tsin  and  Tung-Chow,  the 
nearest  port  to  Pekin.  Before  boarding  one  of  these  junks 
at  Tien-tsin  for  Tung-Chow  I  shall  tell  you  briefly  how  I 
maintained  my  existence  during  and  after  the  investment 
of  the  former  place. 

It  would  seem  that  under  even  a  quasi-military  rule, 
civilians  have  few  if  any  rights;  the  civilian  furnishes  the 
sinews  of  war;  he  pays  the  taxes  which  maintain  the 
army  and  the  navy ;  but  he  has  scarcely  a  right  to  his  own 
property  or  his  own  soul  when  petty  military  officers 
are  invested  with  a  little  brief  authority.  Many  citi- 
zens, both  American  and  English,  complained  bitterly 
of  the  high-handed,  unlawful  and  impudent  way  in  which 
officers  took  possession  of  private  houses  which  had  been 


254  CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

temporarily  vacated,  using  and  misusing  everything  found 
therein,  including  libraries,  pianos,  bedding,  etc.,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  these  same  civilian  owners  are 
paying  taxes  to  furnish  the  army  with  all  necessary  camp 
equipments.  Three  times  I  had  received  permission  from 
agents  of  the  owners  to  occupy  private  houses  which  had 
for  a  time  been  vacated,  when  American  officers  came,  and 
in  a  way  which  I  fear  is  somewhat  characteristic  of  my 
countrvTnen  said :  "  Get  out  of  this ;  we  want  these 
rooms ! "  An  English,  a  Japanese  or  a  Russian  officer 
would  have  said :  "  Sorry  to  disturb  you,  but  we  will  re- 
quire these  rooms."  Bluster  is  not  bravery.  Suaviter  in 
modo  fortiter  in  re. 

After  three  removals,  by  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Denby, 
son  of  ex-Minister  Denby,  I  was  allowed  to  occupy  a 
room  in  a  series  of  Chinese  buildings  under  his  charge. 
Here  I  remained  undisturbed  until  I  went  to  Pekin.  This 
room  was  my  abode  for  three  months ;  it  was  my  bedroom, 
my  kitchen,  my  parlor,  my  developing  room.  It  contained 
some  Chinese  furniture — a  raised  platform,  or  Chinese 
bedstead,  a  table  and  some  stools.  I  secured  a  spirit  lamp 
with  which  I  cooked  the  few  things  which  required  cook- 
ing. It  was  some  time  after  the  capture  of  the  city  of 
Tien-tsin  before  supplies  came  in  from  Shanghai.  Dur- 
ing that  time  there  was  great  scarcity,  and  it  was  often 
difficult  to  obtain  a  sufficiency  of  food  to  allay  the  gnaw- 
ings  of  hunger.  To  make  matters  worse,  mails  had  failed 
to  bring  to  the  North  registered  letters  and  other  valuable 
matter.     Mv  letter  of  credit  was  two  months  overdue. 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  255 

Things  were  a  little  uncomfortable  when  so  little  food 
could  be  bought,  but  when  my  last  penny  was  gone  a 
famine  seemed  near  at  hand.  I  don't  mind  missing  a  few 
meals,  but  a  fast  of  a  few  days  makes  unpleasant  cavities 
about  one's  anatomy.  Fasting  has  an  uncomfortable  sen- 
sation, but  it  is  more  bearable  than  asking  favors  of  the 
military,  which  I  might  have  done.  I  did,  however,  make 
a  pretense  of  dropping  in  casually  upon  the  cook  of  the 
U.  S.  Marines  to  ask  him  if  he  could  spare  a  little  rice.  He 
pointed  to  a  small  starch-box  on  the  floor  half  filled  with 
rice  and  clay  and  straw,  saying  at  the  same  time,  "  That's 
good  rice  if  you  only  wash  it  enough,"  I  carried  it  off 
quite  thankfully,  and,  sure  enough,  when  washed  in  five 
or  six  waters,  it  assumed  a  normal  white,  and  I  feasted 
several  days  upon  this,  seasoned  with  a  pinch  of  salt.  One 
day  during  this  period  of  scarcity,  while  on  the  street,  I 
saw  a  potato  drop  from  a  passing  commissary  wagon. 
This  I  seized,  and  following  the  wagon  for  a  half-mile 
picked  up  in  all  seven  potatoes  and  one  onion.  With  these 
I  returned  to  my  room  in  a  mood  of  triumphant  forage; 
1  pared,  sliced  and  boiled  them  together  in  a  small  tin 
pot  on  my  spirit  lamp.  I  seasoned  with  salt  and  a  small 
portion  of  rancid  oleomargarine  left  in  a  tin  which  had 
been  opened  two  months  before.  That  meal  I  shall  never 
cease  to  regard  as  the  acme  of  gastronomic  pleasure.  Peo- 
ple try  many  things  for  an  appetizer,  but  seldom  try  fast- 
ing. This  veritable  feast  had  predisposed  me  to  potatoes, 
and  on  another  occasion,  having  seen  a  quantity  of  fresh 
potato  parings  thrown  out  in  a  yard  near  a  street,  I  de- 


256  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

cided  to  return  after  night-fall  to  secure  them.  When 
night  came  on,  taking  a  quantity  of  matches  in  my  pocket 
to  enable  me  to  find  the  exact  spot,  I  walked  back  one 
mile  to  obtain  this  tempting  prize  of  potato  parings ;  but 
on  reaching  the  place  a  number  of  officers  were  seated 
near  by  and  ni}'  pride  defeated  my  plan  to  secure  another 
feast,  for  I  could  not  take  them  in  the  presence  of  the 
officers.  I  returned  bootless  and  retired  to  my  hard  bed 
with  hunger  unappeased.  This  state  of  scarcity  continued 
until  one  day  an  American  soldier  came  to  me,  all  his 
pockets  sagging  with  syce  (bars  of  silver),  and  asked  me 
to  buy.  I  told  him  I  had  no  money.  Seeing  my  watch 
and  chain,  he  said,  "  What  kind  of  a  watch  have  you  ?  " 
I  replied,  "  A  good  Elgin  watch."  Without  a  moment's 
hesitation  he  offered  his  bars  of  silver  for  my  watch.  The 
'■  swap  "  was  promptly  consummated,  and  I  had  one  him- 
dred  and  fifty  dollars  worth  of  silver  bullion,  that  is,  about 
twenty  pounds.  This  relieved  the  money  market  and  in 
some  measure  the  fast,  for  soon  the  natives  began  to  re- 
turn to  the  city  and  to  the  settlement.  After  a  while  they 
commenced  to  bring  in  produce,  which  ended  the  famine. 
About  this  time  more  American  troops  arrived,  one  com- 
pany encamping  in  the  compound  about  my  room.  I 
formed  many  pleasant  acquaintances  among  these  men 
and  officers ;  sometimes  giving  accommodation  to  them  in 
my  room,  and  in  turn  they  would  accompany  me  in  my 
outings  with  the  camera,  rendering  valuable  assistance. 
Through  these  generous-hearted  boys  I  obtained  many 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  257 

war-souvenirs  and  enjoyed  many  acts  of  courtesy;  but  we 
cannot  go  further  into  details. 

We  now  pass,  October  3,  to  the  river  before  the  Quar- 
termaster's office,  already  shown  you,  and  embark  on  one 
of  the  junks  requisitioned  by  the  American  army  to  trans- 
port supplies  to  Pekin. 

Turning  to  Map  No.  2,  the  map  of  Eastern  China,  we 
trace  the  part  of  our  route  just  before  us  by  the  red  line 
which  runs  from  Tien-tsin  to  Pekin.  A  short  distance 
from  Tien-tsin  we  find  the  number  68  in  a  circle,  both  in 
red,  with  a  zig-zag  line  running  to  our  route  line.  At  this 
place  we  stop  to  inspect  a  line  of  junk  boats  on  the  Pei-ho 
River. 

68.    Jnnk  Flotilla  on  the  Pei-bo    River— Transporting 
U.  S.  Army  Stores  from  Tien-tsin  to  Pekin. 

General  Chaffee's  permit  is  only  for  transportation. 
Each  traveller  must  supply  his  own  provisions,  cooking 
utensils  and  bedding.  These  quaint  craft  need  little  de- 
scription, as  they  are  before  you.  They  draw  only  two  or 
three  feet  of  water;  their  shallow  holds  are  filled  with 
army  supplies.  The  only  sleeping-place  is  under  those 
tarpaulins  thrown  over  the  poles,  and  the  season  is  so  far 
advanced  that  the  north  winds  are  exceedingly  uncom- 
fortable. Each  boat  has  a  crew  of  five  or  six  native  boat- 
men, one  of  whom  acts  as  captain,  each  junk  being  in 
charge  of  a  soldier  who  cooks  his  own  meals  on  board. 
Every  boat  has  a  small  cabin,  in  which  the  crew  cook  and 
sleep.    With  a  favorable  wind,  a  sail  is  used;  at  other 


258  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE, 

times  each  boat  is  towed  by  the  crew  with  a  line  attached 
to  the  top  of  the  mast.  Other  lines  radiate  from  the  main 
line  to  accommodate  the  several  men  on  the  tow-path. 
The  progress  upstream  with  the  tow-line  is  scarcely  a 
mile  an  hour,  and  the  average  time  of  a  passage  to  Tung- 
Chow  is  five  or  six  days.  You  see  this  fleet  of  junks  be- 
fore us  is  being  propelled  by  the  tow-line  while  its  sails 
remain  unfurled;  you  see  also  something  of  the  tortuous 
course  of  the  river.  At  certain  turns  of  the  river  the  wind 
is  favorable  and  the  sail  is  spread.  Have  you  noticed  how 
those  slender  bamboo  poles  are  used  for  expanding  the 
sail?  Sometimes  neither  the  tow-line  nor  the  sail  can  be 
used ;  then  poles  are  employed ;  these  are  thrust  into  the 
muddy  bottom  at  the  bow,  the  end  is  placed  against  the 
shoulder  and  then  the  coolies  walk  rapidly  to  the  stem  of 
the  boat,  thumping  heavily  the  deck  with  their  feet  at 
every  step.  This  habit  of  pounding  with  their  feet  at 
every  step  as  they  push  from  bow  to  stem  is  one  of  the 
strangest  customs  among  these  boatmen.  They  seem  to 
think  that  it  adds  to  their  effort  in  pushing.  The  effect 
during  the  still  hours  of  night  is  very  curious — they  "  keep 
step,"  and  there  are  often  several  fleets  passing  in  oppo- 
site directions  at  the  same  time,  and  the  rhythmic  pound- 
ing of  so  many  bare  feet  on  the  hollow  sounding  decks  in 
the  dead  of  night  I  cannot  forget. 

The  native  commerce  on  this  small  stream,  in  boats  like 
these,  in  times  of  peace,  is  enormous.  The  river  is  nar- 
row and  shallow  and  is  frequently  silting  up  and  changing 


CHINA  THROUGH  THE   STEREOSCOPE.  259 

its  bed.  The  boats  touch  the  banks  at  many  points  and 
one  can  debark  and  embark  almost  at  any  time  without 
stopping  the  progress  of  the  fleet.  I  found  walking  on 
the  tow-path  in  the  cool  autumn  weather  much  pleasanter 
than  the  deck  of  a  junk  like  this,  and  I  walked  the  greater 
part  of  the  distance  between  Tien-tsin  and  Pekin.  Stand- 
ing here,  we  get  a  true  aspect  of  the  Pei-ho  and  the  kind  of 
boats  that  ply  the  river ;  we  see  also  the  level  character  of 
the  river  plain  and  the  small  growth  of  shrubbery  and 
trees  in  the  distance.  We  get  some  idea  of  the  alluvial 
soil,  though  we  do  not  see  the  prevailing  crops.  We  hap- 
pen to  be  at  a  place  on  the  river  where  the  cultivated  fields 
do  not  extend  up  to  the  river  bank.  The  soil  everywhere 
is  exceedingly  rich,  and  alternating  crops  of  corn,  millet, 
beans,  sweet  potatoes,  peanuts,  sorghum  and  melons  have 
marked  the  fertile  valley  all  the  way  between  these  two 
great  cities.  But  the  crops  have  not  been  harvested;  the 
villages  and  homes  are  deserted.  I  said  the  crops  Had  not 
been  harvested — I  meant  by  the  owners ;  many  of  them  for 
almost  a  mile  on  either  side  of  the  river  have  been  plun- 
dered by  the  men  of  the  junk-fleets  belonging  to  the  dif- 
ferent armies.  The  native  junkmen  were  permitted  to 
go  ashore  and  gather  in  corn  and  millet  to  fill  all  the  empty 
space  available ;  the  Europeans  took  whatever  they  could 
use.  The  inhabitants  had  fled  well  back  from  the  river, 
leaving  crops  and  sometimes  live  stock.  Many  a  pig  that 
had  been  left  behind  and  ventured  to  the  river  bank  be- 
came a  victim  to  the  deadly  army  rifle.    Occasionally  some 


26o  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

of  the  people  who  had  fled  from  their  homes  returned 
under  cover  of  night  to  gather  in  something  of  their  wast- 
ing harvest.  It  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  such  vast  fields  of 
valuable  crops  being  lost,  and  cold  winter  near  at  hand 
and  starvation  awaiting  many.  On  one  occasion  I  at- 
tempted, while  walking,  to  cut  off  a  great  bend  in  the  river 
by  what  I  imagined  would  be  a  short  way  across  country. 
After  penetrating  about  three  miles  I  reached  villages  con- 
taining skulking  refugees,  at  least  stragglers,  partially  in 
hiding.  At  first  sight  of  me  they  scampered  pell-mell  into 
the  forests  of  millet;  this  grain  is  often  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  high  and  affords  a  safe  and  interminable  re- 
treat. At  one  farm  where  a  poor  old  woman  carrying  a 
bimdle  of  grain  on  her  back  attempted  to  cross  the  road 
some  fifty  yards  ahead  of  me,  and  little  suspecting  the 
presence  of  a  "  foreign  devil  "  so  far  back  from  the  river, 
furtively  cast  her  eyes  both  ways  on  the  road.  She  spied 
me,  dropped  her  bundle  as  though  she  had  been  fired  upon, 
jumped  into  the  dry  millet  field  and  in  a  moment  was  out 
of  sight.  It  gave  me  a  sensation  of  sadness  I  never  be- 
fore experienced,  and  even  now,  long  afterward,  it  steals 
over  me  when  1  recall  the  incident — an  innocent,  harmless 
fellow  mortal  fleeing  from  me  in  frenzied  terror.  She 
thought  I  sought  her  life;  and  to  be  suspected  of  seeking 
to  take  life  shocked  me,  I  dare  say,  as  much  as  my 
presence  frightened  her.  It  is  almost  a  pity  that  this  terri- 
fied woman  could  not  have  known  that  the  alarm  was 
mutual.     By  this  time  I  had  decided  that  the  road  I  had 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE    STEREOSCOPE.  26 1 

been  following  did  not  lead  to  the  river,  and  was  on  my 
way  back  by  the  same  road  on  which  I  had  come.  I  was 
sure  I  was  among  Boxers.  I  had  no  weapon  whatever 
about  me.  I  secured  two  cornstalks  and  arranged  them 
to  have  the  appearance  of  a  gun  and  carried  this  make- 
believe  affair  as  I  would  have  carried  a  gun  so  that  Box- 
ers back  in  the  fields  would  think  I  was  not  defenseless. 
In  this  mood  of  nervous  apprehension  I  was  working  my 
way  back  when  the  poor  terrified  woman  dived  into  the 
field  of  millet.  We  were  much  in  the  same  condition  ex- 
cept that  my  fright  up  to  that  point  had  not  settled  in  my 
heels  quite  to  the  same  extent  as  hers.  I,  however,  made 
good  time  back  to  the  river. 

Three  times  a  day  I  made  my  cocoa  by  means  of  my 
spirit  lamp,  and  as  often  did  I  have  my  bread  and  oleo- 
margarine and  a  fragrant  hunk  of  automatic  cheese  out 
of  a  box  that  once  held  two  five-gallon  cans  of  kerosene 
oil.  After  walking,  sailing,  towing  and  poling  for  five 
days  we  reached  Tung-Chow,  the  end  of  the  journey  by 
junk.  All  the  nations  had  a  transporation  service  of 
junks  here,  and  they  lined  the  bank  of  the  river  for  a 
great  distance.  It  is  thirteen  miles  from  Tung-Chow  to 
Pekin,  and  that  distance  had  to  be  made  in  a  four-mule 
wagon  over  the  worst  kind  of  a  road,  axle-deep  in  mud. 
The  only  accommodation  at  Tung-Chow  was  an  army  tent 
kept  for  soldiers  passing  either  way.  In  this  I  spent  the 
night  with  a  single  soldier,  who  shared  with  me  such 
remnants  of  things  eatable  as  we  could  find  in  my  kero- 


262  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

sene  box.  On  the  following  morning,  after  lashing  some 
eight  or  ten  pieces  of  baggage  on  the  top  of  a  well-filled 
government  wagon,  I  mounted  the  high  seat  with  a  mule 
driver  well  versed  in  all  up-to-date  vocabularies  of  pro- 
fanity for  the  final  stage  of  my  journey  from  Tung-Chow, 
the  nearest  port  on  the  Pei-ho  River,  to  Pekin. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE    STEREOSCOPE.  263 


PEKIN. 

About  mid-afternoon,  after  thirteen  miles  of  dislocatint^ 
jolts,  and  weary  with  hearing  the  driver's  lurid  swear- 
words, we  reach  the  famous  capital  of  the  Chinese  Em- 
pire October  9,  1900.  And  now  that  we  have  arrived,  at 
what  gate  shall  we  enter  ?  This  same  question  confronted 
the  Allies,  and  some  entered  at  one  gate  and  some  at  an- 
other. 

That  we  may  get  our  bearings  from  the  very  beginning, 
let  us  turn  to  Map  No.  8,  a  plan  of  Pekin.  The  vast  wall 
which  encompasses  the  city  is  in  the  general  form  of  a 
quadrangle,  corresponding  with  the  four  cardinal  points 
of  the  compass,  the  greater  length  lying  exactly  north  and 
south.  A  transverse  wall  cuts  off  the  southern  third  of 
the  quadrangle,  and  within  this  is  the  strictly  Chinese  sec- 
tion of  Pekin,  the  Chinese  City.  The  northern  two-thirds 
is  what  is  known  as  the  Tartar  City.  The  central  position 
of  this  latter  area  walled  off  by  itself  is  the  Imperial  City, 
and  yet  within  this  is  the  walled  Forbidden  City.  A  small 
outline  plan  of  these  several  city  areas  is  given  on  the  up- 
per left-hand  side  of  the  main  map.  This  small  plan  also 
shows  the  besieged  district.  The  wall  of  Pekin  extends 
about  five  and  one-half  miles  from  north  to  south,  and 
three  and  one-half  miles  from  east  to  west. 

Coming  from  Tien-tsin  we  have  approached  the  wall  on 


264  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

the  east  side  near  the  junction  of  the  Tartar  and  Chinese 
cities.  At  this  place  the  Tung-pien-men  or  Tung-pien 
Gate  opens  into  the  Chinese  City.  It  was  at  this  gate  the 
American  forces  entered.  We  enter  here  also  and  pass 
along  within  the  Chinese  City,  close  to  the  wall  separating 
it  from  the  Tartar  City,  until  we  reach  the  Ha-ta-men,  or 
Ha-ta  Gate,  for  our  first  view  of  the  Chinese  Capital. 
Note  the  two  red  lines  which  start  from  this  gate  and 
branch  toward  the  left  or  west,  each  having  the  number  69 
at  its  end  outside  the  wall.  We  are  to  stand  now  on  the 
wall,  at  the  point  from  which  these  lines  start  and  look 
west  over  that  part  of  the  city  lying  between  them. 

6g.  West  from  Ha-ta-men  (gate)  along  Huge  Ancient 
Wall  between  Tartar  and  Chinese  Pekin— Scene 
of  a  Desperate  Charge  during  Siege. 

We  are  in  Pekin.  Here  is  the  great  wall  stretching 
away  before  us  toward  the  west,  the  wall  which  separates 
the  Tartar  from  the  Chinese  City.  The  latter  lies  on  our 
left  or  south,  the  former  lies  on  our  right  or  to  the  north. 
The  center  of  the  Legation,  or  besieged  district,  lies  about 
a  half  mile  in  front  of  us  on  the  right  side  of  the  wall.  We 
entered  at  a  gate  one  mile  in  our  rear  and  followed  along 
the  left-hand  side  of  this  wall,  passed  through  the  gate 
beneath  us  and  ascended  by  a  causeway  on  the  right  side 
to  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  then  by  a  flight  of  steps  to  a 
floor  in  the  wooden  tower  about  thirty  feet  above  the  wall, 
on  which  we  now  stand.  You  can  see  a  canal  or  moat 
running  parallel  with  the  wall  on  our  left,  but  it  seldom 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  265 

contains  water.  Notice  particularly  the  gigantic  propor- 
tions of  this  wall,  much  greater  than  those  of  the  Great 
Wall  of  China,  which  are  only  about  twenty-five  feet  in 
height  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  thickness,  while 
this  wall  of  the  Tartar  City  is  forty  feet  in  height,  fifty 
feet  in  thickness  at  the  base  and  thirty-six  feet  at  the  top. 
Note,  too,  the  massive  buttresses  flanking  the  wall  to  a 
thickness  of  sixty  feet  at  intervals  of  a  hundred  yards ;  it 
is  paved  on  top  with  large  gray  brick  and  surmounted  by 
crenelated  parapets,  but  shrubbery  and  weeds  cover  this 
pavement  in  many  places.  On  the  top  of  those  flanking 
towers  are  scattered  unmounted,  ancient  Chinese  cannon, 
such  as  you  may  see  illustrated  in  Webster's  Pictorial  Dic- 
tionary under  Chinese  cannon;  others  of  a  later  period, 
but  yet  ancient,  and  mounted  on  rude  wheels,  are  found 
in  the  tower  on  which  we  stand. 

Keep  clearly  in  mind  the  location  of  the  gate  a  mile  be- 
hind us  where  we  passed  within  the  wall,  the  same  at 
which  the  American  troops  entered.  The  English  force 
came  in  on  the  same  side  at  a  gate  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
southward,  and  followed  a  principal  thoroughfare  in  the 
Chinese  City,  running  parallel  to  this  wall,  until  they 
reached  another  thoroughfare  running  at  right  angles  to 
the  street  already  mentioned  and  passing  through  this 
wall  at  a  point  half-way  between  us  and  the  gate  which 
we  can  see  far  away  on  the  horizon.  Yonder  gate  in  the 
distance  is  a  very  important  one  both  in  connection  with 
the  Boxer  war  and  in  reference  to  its  important  central 
location  between  the  Chinese  and  Tartar  cities.    It  is  the 


266  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

Chien  Gate  found  on  the  map  as  the  center  gate  of  this 
wall.  Later  we  shall  stand  upon  the  ruins  of  its  tower, 
on  the  very  spot  where  the  brave  Reilly  fell  while  in  com- 
mand of  his  famous  battery.  The  Americans  passed 
through  that  gate  on  their  way  to  the  Legations,  after 
passing  along  that  open  space  by  the  dry  canal  on  the  left 
of  the  wall.  At  certain  points  a  troublesome  fire  was  di- 
rected upon  them  from  the  top  of  the  wall ;  but  not  from 
the  portion  of  the  wall  some  distance  in  front  of  us,  as 
that  part  was  captured  by  a  daring  sortie  from  the 
hemmed-in  Legations.  To  the  right  of  this  wall,  not  two 
hundred  yards  away,  is  a  parallel  street ;  it  is  called  Lega- 
tion Street ;  and  on  or  near  that  street  the  Legations  are 
located.  You  may  know,  therefore,  how  this  wall  over- 
looks and  commands  the  Legations,  which  you  will  under- 
stand better  when  we  advance  to  a  point  abreast  of  them. 
The  gate  over  which  we  stand  and  the  one  in  the  distance 
are  a  mile  apart.  Three  miles  away  you  can  see  the  faint 
outlines  of  the  Umbrella  Pagoda,  and  beyond  you  can 
dimly  descry  the  western  hills,  thirteen  miles  away.  The 
Summer  Palace  of  the  Empress  is  located  on  the  slopes 
of  those  same  hills,  which  we  may  visit  later. 

We  are  looking  upon  historic  ground;  every  prospect 
bears  a  record  of  thirty  centuries  of  human  life  and  ac- 
tivity, and  events  of  the  past  year  have  added  another 
chapter.  Some  of  the  most  thrilling  events  of  this  latest 
chapter  transpired  on  this  wall  between  these  two  gates. 
The  English  and  American  Legations  are  to  the  right  of  a 
point  midway  between  them.     You  see  a  partial  barricade 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  267 

of  brick  just  before  us,  and  beyond  the  small  building; 
you  see  another  at  the  second  small  building,  and  further 
on  you  see  others  extending  half  way  across  the  top  of  the 
wall ;  still  further  on  there  is  one  extending  quite  across ; 
that  is  nearly  abreast  of  the  English  Legation.  That  point 
of  the  wall,  for  some  unaccountable  reason,  the  Chinese 
never  occupied ;  they  had  approached  it  from  both  gates, 
fighting  and  holding  their  ground  with  great  tenacity  until 
only  a  short  distance  was  unoccupied. 

This  gate,  over  which  we  are  standing,  was  occupied 
all  through  the  siege  by  the  Chinese,  and  from  here  the 
Legations  were  badly  harassed  by  cannon  fire.  Between 
this  gate  and  the  Chien  Gate  the  American  soldiers  were 
on  guard  and  were  so  worn  with  constant  watching  that 
Captain  Meyers  thought  the  wall  must  be  abandoned. 
Minister  Conger  thought  to  abandon  the  wall  would  only 
mean  death  to  all  the  Legations,  as  the  Chinese  could  oc- 
cupy such  an  advantageous  position  and  shoot  directly 
into  the  foreign  lines.  As  a  last  resort  a  midnight  charge 
was  decided  upon,  hoping  thereby  to  rid  the  wall  further 
west  of  the  Chinese  and  give  more  space  for  the  Ameri- 
cans. The  gallant  Captain  Meyers,  with  a  force  of  fifty- 
five  men,  consisting  of  American,  English  and  Russian 
marines,  were  to  make  the  charge.  It  was  a  desperate 
undertaking  for  fifty-five  men  to  attack  unknown  hun- 
dreds, perhaps  thousands,  in  front  of  them.  But  it  was 
well  and  bravely  done.  The  wall  was  gained,  fifty 
Chinese  were  killed.  Captain  Meyers  was  severely 
wounded,  but  he  finally  recovered. 


268  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

This  well-planned  and  bravely  executed  sortie  at  this 
moment  was  justly  considered  the  salvation  of  the  be- 
leaguered inmates  of  the  British  Legation;  for  if  the  en- 
emy had  succeeded  in  planting  their  guns  on  the  wall  be- 
tween these  two  gates  the  raking  fire  at  close  range  would 
inevitably  have  destroyed  all  in  a  brief  space  of  time. 

A  branch  canal  from  that  dry  one  on  our  left  leads 
north  beneath  the  wall  at  the  point  I  have  just  mentioned 
in  line  with  the  British  Legation.  The  opening  beneath 
the  wall,  called  the  Water  Gate,  was  barricaded;  but  it 
was  through  this  that  the  first  of  the  relief  force  reached 
the  Legation.  A  missionary  lady  in  the  Legation  told  me 
that  the  first  men  she  saw  were  a  Sikh  soldier  and  an 
English  officer  who  had  crawled  through  the  Water  Gate 
beneath  the  wall.  The  first  greetings  were :  "  I  am  so 
glad  to  see  you !  "  and  the  reply,  "  I  suppose  you  are !  " — 
about  as  brief  and  expressive  as  Caesar's  famous  speech, 
"  Veni,  vidi,  vici." 

Before  we  stroll  along  the  top  of  this  wall  to  a  place 
where  you  can  see  the  barricades  and  the  Legations,  I 
must  ask  you  to  face  directly  towards  the  north  from  the 
top  of  the  wall,  below  the  tower  in  which  we  are  now 
standing. 

Turn  to  the  map  of  Pekin  and  find  the  two  red  lines 
which  start  slightly  east  of  the  Ha-ta  Gate  and  branch  to 
the  north  wall  of  the  city.  The  number  70  in  a  circle  is 
connected  with  their  starting  point  and  is  also  found  with- 
out a  circle  at  the  end  of  each  line.     We  are  to  look  over 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  269 

that  considerable  portion  of  the  Tartar  City  which  lies  be- 
tween those  lines. 

70.  North  from  Ha-ta-men  (gate)  over  Scene  of  the 
German  Minister,  Baron  Ketteler*s,  Murder,  now 
called  Von  Ketteler  Street,  Pekin. 

Looking  out  over  this  scene  you  will  obtain  a  better  idea 
of  the  appearance  of  Pekin  than  chapters  of  description 
could  give;  the  buildings  scarcely  need  description;  you 
see  them  very  distinctly.  This  street,  however,  is  slightly 
Europeanized  by  being  macadamized  for  a  short  distance, 
owing,  I  presume,  to  its  proximity  to  Legation  Street, 
which  is  the  first  street  leading  west  down  on  our  left.  A 
narrow  surface  drain  extends  along  the  street  for  a  short 
distance,  as  you  see;  this  is  also  an  innovation  we  will 
attribute  to  the  Europeans;  no  normal  Chinaman  of  to- 
day could  ever  comprehend  the  advantages  of  a  sewer. 
Nowhere  else  in  Pekin  can  a  piece  of  paved  street  or  a 
single  yard  of  sewerage  be  found,  barring  Legation 
Street,  which  is  altogether  European. 

This  northern  part  of  Pekin  was  built  by  the  Mongol 
conquerors  about  eight  hundred  years  ago.  Kublai  Khan 
thought  bad  luck  was  attached  to  the  old  city  to  the  south, 
so  he  had  that  city  destroyed  and  built  this  northern  city, 
giving  it  wide  streets,  as  the  Mongols  were  used  to  plenty 
of  air  on  the  prairies  to  the  north.  He  also  built  the 
northern  city  much  larger  than  at  present.  Under  most 
of  the  streets  in  those  days  fine  stone  sewers  were  made, 
but  they  have  been  filled  up  with  debris  by  the  Chinamen 


27©  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

of  later  times.  Pekin  could  easily  be  made  into  a  beau- 
tiful city.  Splendid  springs  of  clear  cold  water  burst  from 
the  mountain-side  ten  miles  to  the  north,  and  old  Kublai 
Khan  had  aqueducts  made  to  bring  the  water  into  the 
city.  These  also  have  fallen  into  disuse.  The  Manchu, 
or  reigning  dynasty,  are  Tartars.  Said  one  European 
resident  of  Pekin :  "  The  Manchus  are  lazy  and  growing 
lazier  every  year.  If  the  recent  troubles  in  China  should 
eventuate  in  driving  the  Manchus  back  to  their  native 
home  in  Manchuria,  no  one  would  mourn." 

This  street  before  us  has  been  rendered  famous  by  the 
murder  of  the  German  Minister,  Baron  von  Ketteler, 
whose  name  it  now  bears,  being  formerly  called  Ha-ta-men 
Street.  The  German  Legation  is  near  the  other  Legations, 
about  a  half  mile  to  the  left  from  where  you  see  its  termi- 
nation on  Von  Ketteler  Street  below  us.  Along  that  side 
street  came  the  German  Minister  on  June  20,  accompanied 
by  his  Secretary,  and  turned  north  on  the  street  stretching 
away  in  front  of  us.  Soon  he  was  to  be  followed  by  the 
Ministers  of  the  other  Legations,  on  the  way  to  the  Tsung- 
li  Yamen  or  Foreign  Office.  The  Minister  and  his  Secre- 
tary were  in  their  official  chairs  and  had  reached  a  point  in 
the  distance  near  where  you  see  what  seems  to  be  a  dark 
arch  across  the  way.  A  narrow  street  extending  from 
Von  Ketteler  Street  toward  the  east  at  that  point  leads  to 
the  Tsung-li  Yamen,  as  the  map  shows.  On  that  street 
the  Minister  was  attacked  in  his  chair  and  killed. 

The  story  of  the  murder  of  Baron  von  Ketteler  and  the 
wounding  of  his  Secretary  are  too  well  known  to  need 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  27 1 

repetition.  The  wounded  Secretary  made  his  way  to  the 
American  Mission,  which  Hes  to  the  west  of  the  place  of 
attack  and  in  the  vicinity  of  that  small  white  tower  which 
rises  from  among  those  trees  quite  beyond  the  larger 
building  with  the  white  roof ;  that  is  another  way  back  to 
the  Legations. 

While  we  are  looking  along  this  important  thorough- 
fare, allow  me  to  locate  certain  places,  some  of  which  we 
may  hereafter  visit.  Should  we  follow  one  of  the  first 
side  streets  leading  to  our  right  one  mile  we  would  reach 
the  east  wall  of  the  T.artar  City,  at  a  point  where  the  fa- 
mous Observatory  is  located  and  which  we  will  show  you 
later;  and  near  it  is  situated  the  Examination  Hall.  A 
short  distance  beyond  the  Tsung-li  Yamen  is  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Inspector  General  of  Customs,  Sir  Robert 
Hart.  At  the  extreme  end  of  this  street  and  outside  the 
wall  is  a  great  temple  called  Ti-tan,  or  Altar  of  Earth.  It 
is  over  three  miles  distant  and  we  can  see  it  looming  up  in 
the  horizon.  At  the  farther  end  of  this  street,  slightly  to 
the  right,  we  shall  visit  later  the  great  Lama  Temple. 
Those  two  temples  stand  near  the  northern  limit  of  the 
Tartar  City ;  but  there  are  remains  of  an  ancient  wall  two 
miles  beyond  that,  which  was  the  northern  limit  of  the 
capital  of  the  Mongol  Dynasty.  Observe  the  level  charac- 
ter of  the  site  of  this  great  city,  how  great  the  distances 
and  how  the  whole  area  is  interspersed  with  trees.  In 
many  parts  of  both  the  Tartar  and  the  Chinese  City  there 
are  large  tracts  quite  vacant.  It  is  verily  a  city  of  great 
walls  and  great  distances,  and,  I  might  add,  of  great  filth 


272  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

and  great  cowards.  In  the  dry  season  the  main  streets  are 
ankle  deep  with  fine  dust,  and  when  carts  or  caravans  pass 
along,  it  rises  and  floats  in  great  clouds,  covering  every- 
thing and  infiltrating  everywhere.  Observe,  also,  how  the 
side  of  the  street  is  lined  with  booths,  where  all  kinds  of 
wares  are  sold.  After  the  city  was  occupied  by  the  Allies, 
the  last  two  miles  of  this  great  street  was  one  of  the  great- 
est loot-marts  in  the  city :  mats  and  cloths  were  spread  out 
on  the  sides  of  the  street  and  articles  for  sale  were  laid 
thereon,  and  in  that  way  the  place  became  a  wilderness  of 
all  sorts  of  things,  and  the  haunt  of  curio  hunters. 

We  shall  now  turn  away  from  this  view  northward 
along  Von  Ketteler  Street  and  proceed  along  the  top  of 
the  wall  westward  to  a  point  nearly  opposite  the  British 
Legation. 

Our  position  and  field  of  vision  is  given  on  the  map  of 
Pekin  by  the  two  red  lines  which  start  from  near  the 
Water  Gate  in  the  wall  between  the  Tartar  and  Chinese 
Cities,  half  a  mile  west  of  our  previous  positions,  and  ex- 
tend to  the  north  wall  of  the  city.  The  number  71  is 
given  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  ends  of  these  lines. 

yi.  British  I,egation,  Scene  of  Heroic  Fortitude  dur- 
ing the  Terrible  Siege, — from  Barricaded  City 
Wall— Pekin. 

We  are  again  looking  northward  from  the  top  of  the 
wall,  and  that  large  two-story  building  beyond  the  bridge 
is  the  most  prominent  building  of  the  British  Legation. 
It  is  surrounded  by  many  one-story  buildings,  which  do 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE    STEREOSCOPE.  273 

not  show  distinctly  behind  walls  and  surrounding  trees. 
A  wall  incloses  the  compound  on  every  side.  T)iat  was 
the  center  of  the  besieged  district.  Probably  never  in  his- 
tory was  the  interest  and  anxiety  of  the  entire  civilized 
world  so  centered  on  one  small  spot  as  on  that  British  Le- 
gation during  the  months  of  June  and  July  of  1900.  For 
sixty  days  four  thousand  human  beings  were  penned 
within  those  narrow  quarters,  and  not  only  living  on 
limited  food  supplies,  but  under  an  incessant  hail  of  can- 
non and  rifle  fire.  Since  this  place  before  us  is  so  full  of 
history,  episode  and  thrilling  association,  let  us  make  a 
careful  inspection  of  it  from  our  commanding  outlook. 
First  note  the  fatal  stupidity  of  the  enemy  in  not  gaining 
this  position,  from  which,  with  the  modern  artillery  in  their 
possession,  they  could  have  swept  the  Legation  with  a 
plunging  fire  and  annihilated  the  four  thousand  inmates  in 
a  few  hours.  I  pointed  out  to  you  the  eastern  end  of  Le- 
gation Street  from  our  last  position ;  here  again  you  may 
see  it  where  it  passes  over  that  low  arched  bridge  between 
us  and  the  British  Legation.  The  French  and  German 
Legations  are  a  short  distance  toward  the  right  from 
that  bridge;  the  Russian  and  American  are  to  the 
left.  A  canal  at  this  time  dry,  passes  beneath  that  bridge 
past  the  English  Legation  and  on  toward  another  bridge 
in  the  distance.  It  was  on  the  second  bridge  that  Profes- 
sor James  was  killed  as  he  was  returning  from  doing  what 
he  could  to  find  a  place  for  the  suflFering  native  Christians. 
I  have  already  mentioned  that  canal  as  issuing  from  the 
canal  on  the  south  side  of  the  wall  and  passing  beneath 


2  74  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

through  a  small  barricaded  opening  known  as  the  Water 
Gate,  at  which  the  English  first  entered.  That  now  his- 
toric gate  is  almost  below  us,  a  little  to  the  left,  as  you 
may  see,  by  the  course  of  the  so-called  canal.  The  main 
entrance  to  the  English  Legation  is  toward  the  canal  at  the 
beginning  of  the  row  of  trees.  Out  of  that  entrance  be- 
neath those  trees  rushed  the  long-imprisoned,  the  long- 
besieged  Ministers  and  missionaries  to  welcome  their  de- 
liverers. Try  to  imagine  the  emotions  of  those  people  as 
they  saw  the  brave  American  and  English  boys,  covered 
with  the  grime  and  dust  of  a  ten  days'  march  in  the  hot 
sun,  reach  Legation  Street  at  the  bridge  and  turn  toward 
them.  Sixty  days  in  hourly  expectation  of  massacre,  and 
now  the  space  between  them  and  the  bridge  filling  up  with 
serried  lines  of  guns  which  means  deliverance.  Could 
there  have  been  present  some  sort  of  a  cardioscope,  if  I 
may  coin  a  word,  to  register  heart-beats  and  emotions, 
what  a  picture  we  would  have  had !  Think  of  four  thou- 
sand choking  utterances  of  the  greeting  aforementioned : 
"  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you!  "  But  we  must  be  satisfied  to 
merely  look  upon  the  place. 

We  have  heard  of  the  sinking  and  explosion  of  mines 
during  the  siege  of  the  Legation ;  so  I  must  point  out  the 
locality  where  they  were  sunk.  The  second  bridge  marks 
a  street  running  parallel  with  Legation  Street ;  following 
that  street  a  short  distance  to  the  left  to  a  point  about  in 
line  with  the  conical  hill  in  the  distance,  you  will  reach  the 
entrance  to  the  Imperial  stables  on  this  side  of  the  street, 
and  not  a  great  distance  from  the  rear  portions  of  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  275 

Legation  Compound.  There  shafts  were  sunk  and  a  tun- 
nel was  under  construction  toward  the  Legation;  with  a 
Httle  longer  delay  in  the  relief  it  would  have  been  under 
the  Legation,  with  such  results  as  one  may  conceive. 
Give  your  attention  next  to  that  area  of  ground  lying  be- 
yond the  British  Legation  and  extending  to  the  street  in 
the  distance ;  it  seems  to  be  now  mostly  covered  with  trees 
because  the  important  buildings  standing  there  before  the 
outbreak  have  been  razed  to  the  ground.  It  is  the  site  of 
the  famous  Hanlin  Yuen  College,  the  great  national  school 
of  the  Empire  in  which  all  Chinese  learning  and  literature 
were  centered.  The  Classics  of  Confucius  inscribed  on  tab- 
lets of  marble  were  treasured  there;  these  are  gone;  the 
twenty  thousand  volumes  of  precious  literature  are  gone; 
and  this  venerable  institution,  founded  a  thousand  years 
before  the  Christian  era  an  alma  viater  from  periods  im- 
memorial, is  a  heap  of  ruins  below  the  level  of  those  trees. 
The  loss  of  thousands  of  volumes  of  ancient  records  re- 
calls the  destruction  of  the  Alexandrian  Library  as  an  ir- 
reparable loss ;  not  so  many  precious  books,  perhaps,  yet 
the  Hanlin  College  antedated  the  Alexandrian  Library  by 
nearly  seven  hundred  years ;  but  what  do  Boxers  care  for 
colleges  or  precious  tomes  of  ancient  literature ! 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  sharp  hill  in  the  distance. 
We  must  give  special  attention  to  that  place ;  it  is  historic ; 
by  its  prominence  it  is  a  landmark  in  Pekin;  in  a  little 
while  we  shall  stand  upon  its  summit  and  overlook  the 
Sacred  City.  We  shall  see  it  from  other  standpoints,  and 
so  it  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  us  in  the  matter  of  position 


276  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

and  direction  over  the  wide-spread  city.  It  is  said  to  be 
artificial  and  to  consist  of  coal,  which  can  be  used  in  case 
of  siege ;  this  is  tradition,  however,  which  is  often  no  more 
than  the  gossip  of  history.  The  Chinese  call  it  Mei-shan, 
which  signifies  Coal-hill.  History  relates  the  tragic  death 
of  Tsung  Cheng,  the  last  emperor  of  the  Ming  dynasty, 
who  hanged  himself  on  that  hill  when  the  victorious 
hordes  of  the  Manchus  entered  the  capital.  Between  us 
and  Coal  Hill  I  think  you  can  discern  the  outline  of  the 
wall  of  the  Imperial  City.  You  can  see  this  wall  plainly 
at  the  farther  end  of  this  street.  The  Sacred  or  Forbidden 
City,  surrounded  also  by  a  heavy  wall  in  the  form  of  a 
quadrangle,  lies  directly  south  of  Coal  Hill.  During  the 
siege  the  Chinese  erected  an  emplacement  on  the  wall  of 
the  Forbidden  City  at  the  end  of  this  street  on  which  was 
planted  a  cannon  which  gave  the  Legations  the  most 
trouble.  It  was  not  until  the  famous  "  Aunt  Betsey  "  was 
found  and  put  to  use  by  an  ingenious  American  that  its 
fire  could  be  stopped. 

I  should  mention  while  we  have  this  Legation  before  us 
that  the  artillery  mounted  on  the  wall  of  the  Forbidden 
City  was  not  the  only  artillery  brought  to  bear  on  the  in- 
mates ;  guns  were  also  mounted  on  the  east  wall  off  to  our 
right,  and  toward  the  west  near  the  Chien  Gate. 

Now  look  toward  those  trees,  opposite  the  Legation, 
across  the  canal.  Among  those  trees  was  the  beautiful 
home  of  a  Chinese  prince  who  had  always  been  friendly 
with  the  Europeans,  and  when  the  trying  ordeal  came  he 
proved  a  prince  indeed,  turning  over  to  the  Legations  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  277 

use  of  his  home  for  the  native  Christian  refugees,  and  de- 
Hvering  up  for  their  use  jdl  foodstuffs  in  his  possession. 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  and  making  the  picture  of 
this  noble  Chinaman  while  at  the  London  Mission,  I  be- 
lieve, however,  he  is  prince  by  royal  appointment  and  not 
by  birth.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance,  as  princely  in 
manner  as  he  has  proved  himself  generous  at  heart,  and 
is  known  as  Prince  Su. 

The  Chinaman  near  us  is  a  native  Christian  whose 
whole  family  was  killed  by  the  Boxers.  He  so  despaired 
of  his  own  life  that  he  gave  up  hope,  and  once  tried  to 
commit  suicide.  He  has  only  one  eye,  and  is  afraid  per- 
haps he  will  lose  that  if  he  looked  into  a  foreign  camera. 

This  barricade  was  built  by  the  Legation  guards  after 
driving  back  the  Chinese  by  the  concerted  night  sortie. 
This  was  the  easterly  barricade  occupied  by  the  American 
soldiers,  who  could,  on  the  one  hand,  keep  in  check  the 
Chinese  at  the  Ha-ta  Gate  to  our  right,  and  on  the  other 
control  somewhat  the  canal  in  front  and  assist  in  case  the 
enemy  tried  to  cross  it. 

Barricades  such  as  these  were  thrown  up  at  frequent 
intervals  along  the  top  of  the  wall  in  the  rear  of  the  Lega- 
tions, as  we  have  seen.  The  material  was  taken  from  the 
wall  and  shows  you  the  kind  and  size  of  bricks  of  which  it 
is  built.  I  will  now  try  to  familiarize  you  with  the  aspect 
of  Legation  Street  by  asking  you  to  go  down  to  the  left 
end  of  that  bridge  and  mount  to  the  roof  of  a  small  build- 
ing and  look  to  the  right  or  eastward. 

On  the  map  we  find  our  position  and  the  direction  in 


278  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

which  we  are  to  look  by  the  two  red  lines  which  start  on 
Legation  Street,  a  short  distance  above  the  Water  Gate, 
and  extend  toward  the  east.  The  left-hand  line  stops  at 
Von  Ketteler  Street,  the  right-hand  line  reaches  the  map 
margin,  and  each  has  the  number  ^2  at  its  end. 

7a.  One  of  the  Typical  "  Freight  Traina  "  of  China- 
looking  l^ast  on  I^egation  Street  at  a  Caravan 
from  Tien-tsin—Pekin. 

It  is  three-fourths  of  a  mile  to  the  eastern  end  of  this 
street  on  Ha-ta-men  or  Von  Ketteler  Street,  heretofore 
pointed  out  to  you.  On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  street, 
one-eighth  of  a  mile  distant,  we  can  see  a  portion  of  the 
German  Legation  building  from  which  the  German  Minis- 
ter departed  on  his  fatal  mission  on  June  20.  To  the 
left,  the  building  next  to  that  tree,  with  a  flag-pole  above 
it,  is  the  entrance  of  the  Spanish  Legation,  where  I  will 
escort  you  later  to  see  the  Foreign  Ministers  leaving  the 
Legation  after  an  important  sitting.  One-fourth  of  a 
mile  from  where  we  stand,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
street,  is  the  French  Legation,  which  we  shall  visit  next. 
Behind  us,  one-eighth  of  a  mile,  is  the  American  Legation 
on  the  same  side  of  the  street  on  which  we  stand.  Oppo- 
site to  it  is  the  Russian  Legation.  And  surely  you  have 
not  forgotten  the  location  of  the  British  Legation  behind 
us  and  to  our  left  by  the  canal.  When  we  again  ascend 
the  wall  we  shall  look  over  the  American  Legation. 

The  camel  train  is  a  typical  scene  in  the  streets  of 
Pekin.    Carts  are  used  to  some  extent  for  transportation. 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE,  279 

but  for  long-  distances  the  patient,  loping  camel  is  the 
chief  burden-bearer.  In  our  own  country  we  see  freight 
trains  of  sometimes  well-nigh  a  hundred  cars.  In  north- 
ern China  we  may  see  a  caravan  of  a  hundred  camels. 
They  come  from  points  south  and  from  the  interior  carry- 
ing produce;  for  you  may  be  reminded  that  agricultural 
production  is  quite  limited  in  the  vicinity  of  Pekin,  It  is 
too  far  north.  We  find  here  the  beginning  of  that  barren- 
ness which  reaches  its  culmination  in  the  sandy  deserts  of 
Mongolia,  How  these  meek  and  uncomplaining  trans- 
portation drudges  must  rejoice  in  the  prospective  com- 
pletion of  the  Siberian  Railway  with  its  branch  to  Pekin ! 
For  ages  caravans  like  this  have  been  threading  their  way 
over  mountains  and  burning  sands  for  two  thousand  miles 
between  Siberia  and  the  Chinese  Capital,  We  do  not  see 
the  farther  end  of  the  caravan  before  us ;  it  may  be  a  mile 
back. 

You  can  see  the  barricade  of  brick  thrown  up  on  the 
wall  of  the  bridge;  this  defensive  preparation  evidently 
anticipated  the  occupation  of  the  wall  facing  this  by  the 
enemy.  We  do  not  here  see  many  traces  of  shots  on  the 
walls  of  the  buildings;  this  is  owing  to  the  circumstance 
that  we  are  here  in  the  line  between  fires  from  opposite 
directions.  The  attacks  were  chiefly  from  the  east  and 
from  the  west — from  the  Ha-ta  Gate  and  beyond  it  to  the 
east,  and  from  the  direction  of  the  Chien  Gate  and  the 
west  and  northwest.  Should  we  go  back  to  the  American 
Legation  we  would  see  the  west  sides  of  the  building  rid- 
dled with  bullets;    and  should  we  go  eastward  till  we 


28o  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

reached  the  east  sides  of  the  French  and  German  Lega- 
tions we  would  find  the  same  condition.  We  shall  go 
where  we  can  see  each  of  these  Legations  in  a  few  minutes. 
But  first  let  us  glance  at  those  figures  nearest  us  in  the 
caravan.  You  can  see  some  French  soldiers  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  a  couple  of  American  soldiers  to  our  right  on 
the  bridge,  and  the  familiar  looking  telegraph  poles  and 
wires  which  a  stranger  might  be  surprised  to  find  in  Pekin. 
Let  us  now  go  forward  along  this  Legation  Street  just 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  to  the  French  Legation,  then  turn 
around  and  look  back  in  this  direction.  On  the  map, 
about  half  way  between  our  present  position  and  Von  Ket- 
teler  Street,  find  two  short  red  lines,  connected  with  the 
number  73,  which  branch  off  toward  the  left  or  west. 

73.  Reminders  of  the  Terrible  Might  Weeks'  Siege 
—Ruins  of  the  French  I^eg&tion  on  legation 
Street,  Pekin, 

We  are  now  looking  west  toward  the  bridge  at  which 
we  stood  to  see  the  camel  train.  Ruins  of  the  French 
Legation  are  nearest  us  on  our  right,  and  this  shows  us 
the  woeful  destruction  of  the  more  exposed  quarters  of 
the  foreigners.  Here  the  fire  was  as  hot  as  anywhere. 
This  comer  was  blown  up  by  a  mine,  burying  two 
Frenchmen  and  many  Chinese.  A  cannon  ball  came 
through  the  wall  of  this  Legation  and  carried  off  the  head 
of  Mr.  Wagener,  a  gentleman  in  the  customs  service.  On 
the  paved  street  to  our  left  a  young  Russian  was  killed ; 
he  had  been  drinking  heavily  and  did  not  know  the  direc- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  28 1 

tion  he  was  going.  Just  beyond  the  head  of  that  ragged 
woman  near  us  you  can  see  a  narrow  depression  in  the 
road.  That  is  the  remnant  of  the  trench  dug  by  the 
Chinese  across  the  road,  and  marks  the  place  of  their  near- 
est barricade. 

The  destruction  wrought  by  fire  and  shells  has  been 
largely  obliterated ;  the  debris  has  been  removed.  The 
street  itself  is  restored  almost  to  its  original  appearance. 
Of  course  some  telegraph  poles  have  hardly  been  brought 
back  to  the  perpendicular ;  and  some  portions  of  the  barri- 
cades remain.  The  lions  before  the  door  of  the  Legation 
seem  to  have  been  imbued  with  the  alleged  Boxer  impene- 
trability, for  there  they  stand,  at  least  one  of  them,  un- 
scarred  and  as  rampant  as  ever.  These  pitted  walls  tell 
of  the  risks  and  diflficulties  and  the  impossibility  of  a 
longer  tenure  of  these  buildings;  notice  also  the  scarred 
remnant  of  that  tree  by  the  telegraph  post.  The  marks 
even  show  the  direction  of  the  bullets  as  coming  directly 
from  the  locality  of  the  Ha-ta  Gate ;  and  now  we  can  un- 
derstand why  we  saw  no  traces  of  bullets  on  walls  facing 
the  west,  from  our  last  position.  We  see  only  the  entrance 
to  the  Legation ;  the  buildings  belonging  to  all  the  Lega- 
tions are  Chinese,  and  they  are  always  back  in  the  com- 
pound a  short  distance  from  the  gate.  As  usual  every- 
thing is  inclosed  in  walls,  and,  as  heretofore  stated,  the 
Chinese  are  a  nation  of  wall-builders.  Notice  how  the 
Legations  have  improved  this  street;  it  is  macadamized 
and  sewered  and  lined  with  lamp  posts,  although  I  see 
none  here.     This  is  the  way  to  the  Tsung-li  Yamen ;  this 


282  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

is  the  street  along  which  all  the  Ministers  are  carried  in 
their  official  chairs  to  the  Chinese  Foreign  Office. 

There  is  a  ragged  and  miserable  looking  beggar  woman 
before  us.  I  told  my  porter,  who  stands  there  by  the  tele- 
graph pole,  to  ask  this  poor  woman  to  stand  a  moment  till 
1  made  a  picture  of  the  street;  her  poverty  was  greater 
than  her  prejudice  against  the  photographic  thing  of  evil, 
and  she  stood  and  earned  her  alms. 

The  great  south  wall  of  the  Tartar  City,  upon  which  we 
have  stood  several  times,  is  only  a  short  distance  to  our 
left.  We  must  ascend  it  again  and  pass  along  its  top  to- 
ward the  west  and  past  the  place  from  which  we  looked 
down  to  the  British  Legation,  to  a  point  in  the  rear  of  the 
American  Legation.  On  the  map  our  position  and  field 
of  vision  is  given  more  definitely  by  the  two  red  lines 
which  start  at  the  wall  just  west  of  the  Water  Gate  and 
reach  beyond  the  northern  city  wall.  The  number  74  is 
found  near  the  starting  point  of  these  lines  and  at  their 
ends. 

74.  The  Bnllet-scarred  American  legation  from  Bar- 
ricaded City  Wall— Forbidden  City  and  Coal 
Hill  in  Distance— Pekin, 

There  are  some  things  in  this  part  of  the  city  which  you 
will  not,  I  am  sure,  fail  to  recognize;  you  see  far  away 
that  land-mark  previously  mentioned,  that  Coal  Hill  on 
which  the  last  of  the  Mings  hanged  himself,  and  which 
has  become  famous  in  tradition  and  in  history.  And  you 
will  verily  not  fail  to  recognize  that  ever-endeared  em- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  283 

blem  of  liberty  and  of  our  country  which  floats  out  there 
over  those  trees  and  over  China.  Even  the  slow  natives 
soon  learned  to  know  the  import  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
To  carry  or  display  a  flag  was  a  claim  to  the  protection  of 
the  nation  to  which  the  flag  belonged.  The  American  flag 
was  in  great  demand ;  everything  in  the  way  of  an  Ameri- 
can flag  was  bought  or  secured  in  some  way,  and  when  the 
supply  was  exhausted  the  Chinese  mothers  and  daughters 
ransacked  their  homes  for  bits  of  red,  of  white  and  of 
blue  which  they  speedily  sewed  into  a  funny  semblance  of 
the  American  flag.  They  had  soon  learned  that  the  Amer- 
icans treated  them  with  more  consideration  and  fair  play 
than  some  other  of  the  nations;  and  that  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  meant,  even  to  them,  liberty  and  protection. 

The  flag  is  over  the  entrance  of  the  American  Legation, 
on  Legation  Street.  The  large  two-story  structure  is  the 
main  building.  Dr.  Lippert  received  a  terrible  wound 
standing  by  the  side  of  that  house.  It  is  surrounded  by 
low  one-story  buildings  occupied  by  attaches  of  the  Le- 
gation. First  Secretary  Squiers  has  quarters  just  beyond 
the  trees  to  the  right  of  the  main  building.  Mr.  Bain- 
bridge,  the  Second  Secretary,  and  Mrs.  Bainbridge,  occu- 
pied rooms  on  the  second  floor  of  the  main  building.  A 
shell  burst  in  those  apartments.  All  the  members  of  the 
Legation  were  finally  obliged  to  seek  shelter  in  the  British 
Compound.  You  can  readily  see  the  exposed  position  of 
this  Legation.  It  is  scarcely  more  than  a  stone's-throw 
from  the  wall.  How  unaccountable  that  the  Chinese  did 
not  at  once  gain  this  advantageous  position !     They  un- 


384  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

doubtedly  thought  that  all  those  low  buildings  were  filled 
with  legation  guards,  and  they  are  evidently  not  fond  of 
taking  great  risks.  The  walls  of  the  rooms  of  the  Second 
Secretary  on  the  west  side  of  the  building  were  pitted  all 
over  with  rifle  bullets.  Some  of  the  Chinese  arsenals 
were  stored  with  vast  quantities  of  excellent  bows  and  ar- 
rows. These  could  almost  have  been  used  effectively  at 
this  short  range.  In  line  with  the  Legation  we  can  dis- 
cern superstructures  connected  with  the  large  gate  which 
is  the  entrance  to  the  Sacred  City  on  the  south.  The  gate 
at  the  left  with  the  small  flanking  towers  on  either  side  is 
the  main  entrance.  It  is  on  a  line  southward  from  Coal 
Hill  to  the  Chien  Gate. 

All  these  nearer  Chinese  houses  are  to  be  removed  for 
the  new  Legations.  Observe  again  how  the  guards  have 
thrown  up  temporary  defenses;  this  continues  for  a 
great  distance,  and  the  replacing  of  these  bricks  and  the 
general  restoration  of  this  wall  will  involve  much  labor  for 
the  Pekinese  brick-layer.  The  irregular  nature  of  this 
barricade  was  necessary  because  the  men  were  fired  at 
from  all  directions.  You  also  meet  again  my  unfortunate 
one-eyed  native,  correctly  typifying  the  national  life — 
meek,  phlegmatic  and  immobile. 

We  have  still  an  inadequate  idea  of  the  destruction 
wrought  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Legations  by  the  Boxers. 
If  we  now  go  to  the  Chien  Gate,  to  our  left,  and  look  to- 
ward the  northeast  over  the  territory  lying  to  the  west  and 
north  of  the  American  Legation,  we  shall  realize  more 
fully  the  havoc  done  during  the  siege.     On  the  map  of 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  285 

Pekin  find  the  Chien  Gate,  directly  south  of  the  Forbidden 
City.  We  are  to  see  the  section  lying  between  the  two  red 
lines  which  branch  toward  the  northeast,  each  having  the 
number  75  at  its  end  on  the  map  margin. 

75.  Ruins  Around  the  I,egations  Bnrned  by  Chinese, 
from  Cbien-men  (gate)  where  Captain  Reilly  was 
Killed— Pekin, 

When  we  stood  on  the  Ha-ta  Gate  for  our  first  view  in 
Pekin,  we  looked  westward  along  the  wall  to  the  Chien 
Gate,  which  we  could  see  in  the  distance,  about  a  mile 
away.  I  told  you  then  that  later  we  would  visit  the 
latter  and  stand  on  the  place  where  Captain  Reilly  fell. 
Now  we  are  on  that  spot,  as  nearly  as  I  could  have  it  lo- 
cated, and  looking  a  little  north  of  east  and  toward  the 
British  Legation,  which  we  can  see  in  the  middle  distance 
to  the  right  of  that  tall  pole. 

The  Boxers  and  Imperial  troops  in  the  vicinity  of  this 
gate,  after  repeated  attempts  on  the  united  Legations, 
thought  to  facilitate  further  attacks  by  burning  the  inter- 
vening portion  of  the  city.  T.he  fire  did  its  work,  as  you 
see;  but  the  troops  failed  in  theirs.  I  was  told  by  good 
authorities  that  this  burned  district,  destroyed  ruthlessly 
and  uselessly,  represented,  at  a  low  estimate,  five  million 
dollars'  worth  of  property.  Here  were  the  Ginseng  shops, 
which  drug  the  Chinese  prize  so  highly.  The  fire  that 
swept  this  district  also  swept  away  the  Methodist  Mission 
and  the  Austrian,  Belgian,  Netherland  and  French  Lega- 
tions.    The  day  after  the  foreign  armies  entered  the  city 


286  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

the  guns  of  Captain  Reilly's  battery  were  mounted  on  this 
gate  and  trained  on  the  gates  of  the  Imperial  City,  which 
lie  north  of  us  to  our  left ;  after  the  gates  had  been  demol- 
ished and  the  way  cleared  for  the  entry  of  the  troops,  and 
at  the  moment  of  victory  the  gallant  leader,  standing 
where  we  now  stand,  was  instantly  killed  by  a  rifle  bullet. 

This  gate  is  one  of  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
posing and  important  in  Pekin ;  the  entire  upper  structure 
is  burned  and  is  now  only  a  mass  of  ruins. 

A  great  thoroughfare  lies  beneath  us.  Toward  our  left 
or  the  north  it  leads  through  lofty  gateways  into  the  Im- 
perial City  and  thence  into  the  Palace,  which  embraces 
a  large  area  surrounded  by  massive  walls ;  southward  or 
to  our  right  it  leads  across  the  southern  or  Chinese  portion 
of  the  city.  We  are  to  turn  southward  for  a  half  mile  and 
visit  this  central  highway. 

76.  Busy  Markets  in  Chinese  {Southern)  Pekin— On 
Kaiser  or  Chien-men  Street,  between  South  Gate 
and  Chien-men  {gate),  Pekin, 

We  looked  down  into  Von  Ketteler  Street  from  the 
Ha-ta  Gate  (Stereograph  No.  70) ;  now  we  are  in  Chien- 
men  Street,  or,  as  the  Germans  call  it.  Kaiser  Street,  and 
there  are  other  places  with  Teutonic  cognomens,  until  it 
almost  looks  as  though  Germany  was  going  to  extort  a 
namesake  indemnity  from  poor  "  John." 

This  street  extends  from  the  extreme  southern  gate  of 
the  Chinese  City  to  the  gate  of  the  Imperial  City.  We  are 
looking  northeast  again.     (On  the  map  see  the  red  lines 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  287 

connected  with  number  76,  south  of  the  Chien  Gate.)  The 
scene  before  us  is  typical  of  this  busy  street.  It  is  all 
trade  and  no  recreation;  there  are  stands  for  the  sale  of 
all  sorts  of  queer  comestibles  quite  beyond  the  comprehen- 
sion of  Western  cooks.  It  seems  to  be  an  out-door  res- 
taurant along  the  entire  street;  there  are  buckets,  tubs, 
pots  and  pans,  baskets  containing  rice,  vessels  containing 
fruit  which  I  recognize  to  be  a  fine  large  species  of  the 
persimmon.  I  see  bakers  and  what  appears  to  be  flour  on 
some  tables;  if  flour  it  is  rice  flour,  which  is  in  general 
use  for  many  purposes.  The  people  here  all  appear  dirty 
and  ragged,  and  so  they  are;  they  are  all  of  the  lower 
class — the  unwashed  and  unkempt  horde.  You  may 
notice  they  are  clad  in  warm  garments,  in  quilted  coats, 
and  all  wearing  shoes  and  stockings.  Winter  is  coming 
on ;  it  is  November  and  the  winds  are  sharp  and  a  thin  ice 
coats  the  pools.  The  climate  in  Pekin  corresponds  with 
that  of  New  York.  Out  there  in  the  street  is  the  ever- 
present  wheelbarrow.  On  the  other  side  of  the  street  are 
crowds  lingering  by  stands  of  haberdashery,  and,  indeed, 
stands  for  the  sale  of  all  conceivable  commodities  from 
junk  to  jade  and  other  gems.  We  see  some  pieces  of  mat- 
ting not  yet  unrolled ;  this  will  be  spread  out  in  the  sand 
and  dust,  and  articles  for  sale  placed  upon  it.  The  oppo- 
site side  of  this  street,  like  Von  Ketteler  Street,  to  which  I 
have  already  referred,  has  been  a  mart  for  the  sale  of  loot. 
It  is  seldom  that  one  does  not  see  something  inviting 
where  eatables  are  for  sale,  but  in  China  never,  barring, 
possibly,  natural  fruits.     Here  we  fail  to  see  such  things 


288  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

as  desiccated  rats  and  boiled  bugs;  but  if  they  are  not 
here  they  are  elsewhere  for  sale  in  the  Empire ;  for  I  have 
bought  the  fornier  in  the  markets  of  Canton  and  eaten  the 
latter  in  the  same  place,  although  only  in  a  tentative  sort 
of  a  way. 

There  is  a  disappointing  similarity  in  the  appearance  of 
the  people  in  all  parts  of  China ;  they  are  said  to  be  much 
larger  and  stronger  in  the  north,  and  I  presume  they  are 
in  the  average ;  but  the  difference  is  not  very  marked.  In 
the  groups  we  have  seen  in  the  south  and  in  the  north  I 
scarcely  think  you  have  noticed  a  great  difference ;  prob- 
ably you  will  say  that  they  seem  darker  in  complexion 
among  the  lower  classes  in  the  north,  and  I  think  they  are. 

Only  a  few  miles  behind  us  is  a  branch  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association.  No  more  commendable  ex- 
ample of  applied  Christianity  could  be  found.  On  the 
map  see  the  two  red  lines  connected  with  the  number  "jy^ 
in  the  center  of  the  Chinese  City. 

77.  Y,  M.  C.  A.  Rooms  for  Soldiers  of  the  Allied 
Armies— formerly  a  Notorious  Dive— on  the  Busi- 
est Street  of  Pekin. 

What  a  difference  in  the  meaning  of  that  sign  to  these 
thronging  Orientals  and  to  the  soldiers  passing  up  and 
down  this  street ! 

The  beginning  of  the  Spanish-American  war  aroused 
new  interest  in  the  American  army  and  navy  and  recalled 
to  the  public  mind  the  fact  that  while  ample  provision  was 
made  by  the  government  for  clothing,  feeding  and  arming 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  289 

the  American  soldier  and  sailor,  it  could  not  provide 
through  strictly  military  channels  those  mental,  moral  and 
social  influences  required  for  the  best  development  of 
young  manhood.  Beginning  three  days  after  the  first  call 
for  volunteers  in  1898  down  to  the  present,  the  one  agency 
that  has  most  diligently  and  systematically  endeavored  to 
supply  these  needs  of  the  soldier  and  sailor  has  been  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  In  southern  camps, 
imder  the  sunny  skies  of  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  the  Philip- 
pines, or  in  frozen  Alaska,  the  men  in  blue  have  found  the 
Association  anticipating  their  needs,  and  with  well- 
equipped  places  of  resort  bountifully  supplied  with  games, 
books,  magazines,  writing  paper  and  other  comforts,  has 
made  it  possible  for  the  soldier  and  sailor  to  keep  in  touch 
with  civil  life  and  remain  good  men  as  well  as  good 
fighters. 

The  Association's  enterprise  was  shown  by  one  of  the 
secretaries  representing  the  International  Committee  in 
New  York,  pushing  to  the  front  with  one  of  the  columns 
which  relieved  the  besieged  legations  here  at  Pekin, 
About  the  same  time  another  secretary  was  detached  from 
the  force  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  where  a  large  work  had 
been  conducted  since  the  American  occupation  and  sent  to 
organize  the  movement  in  China  wherever  American 
troops  should  be  called.  At  Tien-tsin,  Tongku  and  vari- 
ous less  important  stations  this  was  done,  the  activity  cul- 
minating in  securing  the  building  before  us  which  had 
been  a  notorious  gambling  and  opium  den  until  closed  by 
military  authority.     As  soon  as  permission  for  its  use  was 


290  CHINA  THRQUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

secured  it  was  made  the  headquarters  for  a  line  of  similar 
buildings  in  various  parts  of  this  city,  differing  from  the 
others  only  in  the  fact  that  it  was  located  so  as  to  be  ac- 
cessible to  the  allied  armies.  Situated  as  it  is  in  this 
Chinese  City  at  the  junction  of  the  American,  German  and 
British  camps,  it  was  naturally  more  used  by  the  troops 
of  these  armies  than  by  the  troops  of  other  nations,  but  all 
were  found  in  the  building,  and  when  games  were  unfa- 
miliar or  books  and  papers  were  found  to  be  printed  in  an 
unknown  tongue,  or  lectures,  sermons  and  songs  were  un- 
intelligible, the  Sikh,  Japanese,  French  or  Italian  could 
pen  a  message  home  on  paper  that  bore  the  Association 
imprint  and  meet  in  fellowship  in  the  lunch  and  coffee 
rooms  which  were  powerful  in  restraining  men  from  pat- 
ronizing the  dens  of  infamy  with  which  every  Oriental 
city  is  so  well  supplied. 

Here  again  we  have  before  us  a  typical  crowd  in  this 
important  Chien-men  (great  street).  While  the  buildings 
are  used  for  stores,  still  the  most  active  merchandizing  is 
carried  on  in  the  open  air.  Something  much  trafficked  in 
here  is  Chinese  coal,  a  mixture  of  coal  dust  and  clay,  and 
is  sold  in  baskets.  Shoes  and  other  articles  of  clothing 
are  bought  and  sold  alongside  the  open  air  restaurants, 
where  such  toothsome  dishes  as  grasshoppers,  dog  flesh 
and  vegetable  mixtures  are  served  to  the  fastidious  but 
hungry  wayfarer  who  wishes  to  have  some  change  from 
rice  and  tea  diet. 

Off  to  our  right,  or  to  the  northeast,  is  the  gate  through 
which  the  American  army  entered  the  city.     South  of  us 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  29 1 

lie  the  Temples  of  Heaven  and  Agriculture,  which  were 
the  headquarters  of  the  British  and  American  forces  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1900  and  1901.  Only  a  short  distance 
west  of  us  is  the  place  of  public  execution,  where  two  of 
the  Boxer  princes  were  executed  among  the  other  crimi- 
nals during  the  occupancy  of  the  Allies. 

Now  that  we  have  seen  Chien-men  Street  in  the  Chinese 
City  and  know  how  it  appears,  how  low  and  mean-looking 
the  buildings  are,  how  ragged  and  miserable  the  common 
street  sellers  are,  we  shall  follow  this  same  street  directly 
north  to  the  Chien  Gate  again,  thence  we  shall  pass  east- 
ward a  short  distance  along  Legation  Street,  thence  north- 
ward outside  the  wall  of  the  Imperial  City  about  half  its 
length,  until  we  reach  a  breach  in  the  wall  made  by  the 
Allies  to  facilitate  transportation.  This  we  enter  and 
thereby  conveniently  gain  access  to  Coal  Hill,  which  we 
have  already  seen  several  times  at  a  distance.  It  is  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  from  its  summit  we 
are  to  obtain  fine  prospects  of  the  more  important  parts  of 
the  city. 

We  find  the  location  of  Coal  Hill  on  the  map  practically 
in  the  center  of  the  area  inclosed  by  the  Tartar  City  wall. 
It  is  also  near  the  center  of  the  Imperial  City  area,  and 
just  north  of  the  Forbidden  City.  Trace  out  the  two  red 
lines  which  run  north  from  Coal  Hill,  each  having  the 
number  78  at  its  end  outside  the  plan  of  the  Tartar  City. 
Our  next  field  of  vision  will  be  the  territory  between  those 
lines. 


292  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

78.  Mei-sban  {Coal  Hill)  within  the  Imperial  City, 
north  to  Drum  and  Bell  Towers— Ancestral 
Temples  in  Foreground,  Pekin. 

Coal  Hill  is  the  most  elevated  point  in  Pekin ;  it  affords 
the  best  panoramic  outlook.  We  are  looking  toward  the 
north.  Here  again  you  learn  that  the  general  aspect 
changes  little;  the  city  spreads  away  over  the  same  level 
plain ;  the  street  in  the  distance  is  broad ;  the  houses  are 
low  and  somewhat  scattered,  and  the  whole  field  of  view 
is  thickly  interspersed  with  trees.  The  area  of  the  city  is 
not  densely  populated,  as  at  Canton  and  many  other  cities 
in  China ;  in  the  Chinese  portion  there  are  large  areas  al- 
most without  buildings  except  a  few  temples.  The  slopes 
of  Coal  Hill  are  quite  heavily  wooded ;  the  higher  points 
contain  pavilions  or  summer-houses,  and  at  the  time  of 
our  visit  the  largest  of  these  on  the  highest  point  was  occu- 
pied by  French  soldiers.  There  are  not  many  objects  of 
special  interest  in  this  northern  section  of  the  city.  Di- 
rectly north,  a  little  over  a  mile  distant,  you  see  what  ap- 
pears to  be  a  huge  gate  rising  from  the  street  to  a  great 
height.  It  is  known  as  the  Drum-tower,  because  it  con- 
tains a  colossal  drum  which  is  beaten  in  times  of  alarm, 
and  is  also  used  to  signalize  the  night  watches.  T.wo  hun- 
dred yards  beyond  the  Drum-tower  is  another  somewhat 
similar  structure  called  the  Bell-tower,  because  it  contains 
one  of  five  great  bells  cast  by  Emperor  Yung  Lo  in  the 
early  part  of  the  fifteeenth  century.  These  bells  are  said 
to  weigh  sixty  tons  each.  The  Chinaman's  fondness  for 
big  things  is  not  confined  to  great  walls ;  he  takes  to  big 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  293 

drums  and  big  bells,  and  sometimes  to  very  big  "  josses," 
in  material  concerns ;  but,  worse  than  that,  I  fear  he  does 
not  always  scruple  on  big  diplomatic  fibs,  nor  is  his  com- 
mercial code  always  free  from  big  "  squeezes  " ;  yet  in  this 
respect  what  nation  shall  "  cast  the  first  stone  "  ?  The 
northern  wall  of  the  Imperial  City  lies  one-half  mile  north 
of  us,  but  it  can  scarcely  be  identified  among  the  trees. 
The  Mei-shan,  or  Coal  Hill,  on  which  we  stand  is  also  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall  which  we  see  among  the  trees  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill.  We  may  see  among  the  trees  an  orna- 
mental gateway,  and  near  it  a  passage  through  the  wall 
leading  to  those  rather  pretentious  structures  beyond. 
That  large  building  with  its  several  adjuncts  is  an  ances- 
tral hall.  You  have  not  forgotten  the  beautiful  memorial 
hall  of  the  Chun-Ka-Chie  family  at  Canton.  This  is  an- 
other of  those  sacred  ancestral  shrines,  where  family  rec- 
ords are  kept  and  where  memorial  tablets  are  erected,  as 
was  explained  to  you  when  we  stood  before  the  one  at 
Canton.  There  are  many  beautiful  architectural  features 
to  this  family  temple ;  there  are  richly  carved  marble  rails 
and  large  figures  of  animals  and  birds  in  bronze.  Says  Du 
Bose,  speaking  of  these  ancestral  halls :  "  Here  sacrifices 
are  made,  incense  is  burned  and  prayers  are  offered. 
The  following  is  the  prayer  of  an  emperor  of  the  Ming 
dynasty  to  his  ancestors  : 

" '  I  think  of  you,  my  sovereign  ancestors,  whose  glori- 
ous souls  are  in  heaven.  As  from  an  overflowing  foun- 
tain run  the  happy  streams,  such  is  the  connection  between 
you  and  your  descendants.     I,  a  distant  descendant,  hav- 


294  CHINA  THROUGH    THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

ing  received  the  appointment  from  heaven,  look  back  and 
offer  this  bright  sacrifice  to  you,  the  honored  ones  from 
age  to  age,  for  hundreds  and  thousands  and  myriads  of 
years.  Now  ye  front  us,  O  spirits,  and  now  ye  pass  by 
us,  ascending  and  descending  unrestricted  by  conditions  of 
space.  Your  souls  are  in  heaven ;  your  tablets  are  in  that 
department.  For  myriads  of  years  will  your  descendants 
think  of  you  with  filial  thoughts  unwearied.' " 

Behind  us  lies  the  Palace,  and  for  our  last  panorama 
of  Pekin  let  us  look  over  the  urban  "  Holy  of  Holies,"  or 
the  Palace  area.  Turn  again  to  the  map  and  trace  the  two 
red  lines  which  bound  our  field  of  vision,  starting  from 
Coal  Hill  and  extending  over  the  Forbidden  City  and  the 
Chinese  City.  The  number  79  is  given  at  the  beginning 
and  ends  of  these  lines. 

79.    ItOoMng  South  over  the  Palacea  of  the  Forbidden 
City,  from  Mei-sban  (Coal  Hilt),  Pekin. 

The  Shrines  of  Mecca  are  not  kept  more  fanatically 
exclusive  toward  "  Christian  dogs  "  than  is  this  Forbid- 
den City  at  our  feet  toward  all  the  world  save  the  Im- 
perial coterie. 

In  all  Oriental  countries,  the  policing  of  cities  is  very 
imperfectly  done,  hence  the  people  learn  to  shut  them- 
selves in  and  the  streets  are  very  uninteresting.  Until 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  the  Forbidden  City 
was  not  entirely  closed  to  visitors.  Then  a  wretch  took 
advantage  of  his  privileges  and  tried  to  assassinate  the 
Emperor.    From  that  day  to  this,  not  only  this  city,  but  all 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  295 

imperial  places  are  closed  to  spectators.  The  Chinaman 
is  naturally  generous  and  sociable.  It  is  his  environment 
and  lack  of  governing  ability  which  has  resulted  in  his 
present  spirit  of  exclusiveness.  The  Great  Wall  was  built 
to  keep  out  nomadic  horsemen  who  troubled  their  borders. 
Walls  of  cities  were  built,  as  they  say,  to  make  thieving 
less  easy  and  the  capture  of  thieves  more  easy.  Walls 
are  built  in  front  of  public  offices  and  homes  to  keep  out 
evil  spirits  rather  than  to  prevent  people  from  looking  in. 
The  Chinaman  is  more  afraid  of  wandering  ghosts  than 
any  man  alive.  Spirits,  to  him,  are  everywhere  present 
and  must  be  kept  out  if  possible.  Doubtless  if  we  knew 
the  reason  for  the  erection  of  many  buildings  in  the  "  Sa- 
cred Enclosure  "  it  could  be  traced  to  superstition. 

Let  us  gaze  for  a  little  on  this  debarred  city  which  the 
highest  foreign  dignitaries  have  not  been  permitted  to 
enter  for  centuries.  The  entire  palace  enclosure  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  massive  wall  faced  with  tile  glazed  with  im- 
perial yellow.  The  wall  is  flanked  by  a  broad  moat,  which 
is  also  walled  with  solid  masonry.  Three  streets  extend 
across  the  grounds ;  three  halls,  in  line  north  and  south, 
embrace  the  main  buildings;  three  and  nine  are  sacred 
numbers;  therefore  you  must  expect  everything  in  threes 
or  nines.  Before  each  of  the  three  principal  halls  are 
threefold  gates.  The  gate  in  the  wall  around  the  hill  on 
which  we  stand  is  triple;  the  large  gateway  before  you, 
which  is  the  northern  gateway  of  the  Palace,  is  also  tri- 
ple. Seven  is  the  Jewish  lucky  number,  but  the  Chinese 
fates   (feng-shui)  know  no  numbers  but  three  and  the 


296  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

multiples  thereof.  It  is  their  numerical  sacred  trinity. 
This  vast  space  appropriated  to  private  palaces  for  the 
Emperor  and  the  Empress  contains  a  lake,  gardens  and 
pavilions;  it  has  a  fine  temple  dedicated  to  the  Imperial 
ancestors.  We  see  countless  adjunct  structures  in  all  parts 
of  the  ground.  It  would  be  impossible  to  learn  all  the 
different  uses  to  which  they  are  put.  Many  are  occupied 
by  eunuchs,  of  whom  there  are  about  two  thousand  in  the 
palace  inclosure.  There  are  concubines,  I  suppose,  and 
guards  and  bannerman,  and  servants  of  many  kinds,  and 
court  flunkies  innumerable,  all  requiring  quarters  within 
the  grounds. 

One  of  the  great  mistakes  made  by  this  dynasty  was  in 
subsidizing  all  the  soldiers  who  helped  establish  the  throne 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  as  well  as  their  descend- 
ants. Hence  these  Manchus  expect  to  be  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  Emperor,  and  when  their  stipends  grow 
small,  as  naturally  they  must  in  the  course  of  time,  they 
make  up  the  deficiency  by  stealing  public  funds.  There  is 
no  court  in  the  world  where  there  are  so  many  loafers  and 
useless  flunkies  who  still  have  a  sort  of  right  to  be  there. 
The  Em.press  Dowager  is  the  keenest  monarch  who  has 
governed  China  for  many  years,  but  even  she  dares  not 
weed  out  the  worthless  trash  in  the  palace. 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  public  has  not  been  ad- 
mitted even  to  the  ground  on  which  we  stand.  Friends 
who  had  previously  visited  Pekin  advised  me  to  endeavor 
to  gain  the  top  of  this  hill  by  stealth,  as  the  only  way  of 
obtaining  a  panoramic  view  of  the  Forbidden  City;  but 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  297 

stealth  is  uncalled  for  when  European  troops  cook  their 
rations  in  the  pavilion  we  occupy.  It  is  another  circum- 
stance which  admits  the  old  adage  about  the  "  ill  wind." 
The  exigencies  of  war,  therefore,  have  gained  for  us,  not 
only  a  panorama  of  the  forbidden  ground,  but  also  of  the 
sanctum  sanctorum  itself,  to  which  I  will  introduce  you 
after  we  walk  around  to  the  opposite  approach  of  the  sa- 
cred enclosure. 

Do  not  forget  that  we  are  here  looking  directly  toward 
the  Chien  Gate,  which  is  now  over  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  us.  We  will  leave  the  Mei-shan,  turn  to  the  left  and 
pass  outside  the  west  wall  of  the  Imperial  City,  and  then 
southward  till  we  reach  Legation  Street,  and  then  swing- 
ing to  the  right  on  a  line  with  the  Chien  Gate,  we  face 
north  and  enter  the  gate  of  the  Imperial  City  and  con- 
tinue our  way  northward  over  a  flagged  highway  and 
through  another  massive  gateway  until  we  reach  a  third 
prodigious  gate ;  this  we  ascend  and  from  its  lofty  second 
story  we  look  north  toward  the  gate  which  opens  into  the 
Forbidden  City.  On  the  map  we  see  by  the  red  lines  con- 
nected with  the  number  80  that  we  are  to  look  north  from 
the  southern  wall  of  the  Imperial  City. 

80.  Count  Von  Waldersee  J^scorted  by  Of&cers  of  Al- 
lied Armies  through  l,ines  of  U.  S.  Infantry, 
toward  Sacred  Gate,  Pekin. 

Now  we  are  on  the  southern  side  of  the  palace  area 
looking  toward  Coal  Hill,  which  is  hidden  behind  the  gate. 
Before  us  we  see  the  German  Field  Marshal,  Count  von 


298  CHINA  THROUGH    THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

Waldersee,  passing  through  the  Imperial  City  on  an  offi- 
cial tour.  At  the  same  time  we  are  able  to  get  a  good 
view  of  the  entrance  to  the  Palace  or  Forbidden  City. 

The  gate  on  which  we  stand  is  similar  to  the  one  on  the 
opposite  side  of  this  grand  court,  except  that  it  has  no 
flanking  wall  and  towers  such  as  those  we  see.  There  is 
a  vast  room  just  behind  us  stored  with  immense  quanti- 
ties of  swords,  bows  and  arrows  and  other  war  material. 
The  whole  court  at  our  feet  is  paved  with  brick,  and  the 
central  drive  or  promenade  is  flagged  with  heavy  stone, 
and  this  flagging  and  paving  extends  from  the  Chien  Gate 
to  and  within  the  Palace  area,  a  distance  of  three-fourths 
of  a  mile.  Notice  again  the  triplicate  form  of  this  en- 
trance. You  will  remember  that  at  the  Chien  Gate  we 
stood  on  the  spot  where  the  gallant  Captain  Reilly  fell.  I 
then  told  you  that  the  guns  of  his  battery  were  trained 
on  the  sacred  city  and  the  gates  leading  thereto,  in  order 
to  clear  the  way  for  the  advance  of  the  troops.  If  you 
look  carefully  you  will  discover  traces  of  shells  from 
Reilly's  guns — grim  mementoes  for  the  Empress  when 
she  returns  to  the  Palace ;  for  at  that  time  she  was  fleeing 
southward  toward  Paoting-Fu. 

After  the  occupation  of  the  city  by  the  Allies,  the  Amer- 
ican and  Japanese  troops  were  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Palace  grounds.  A  portion  of  the  Ninth  Infantry  were 
encamped  within  this  court.  At  this  time  you  see  them 
lined  along  both  sides  of  this  Imperial  highway  as  a  mark 
of  military  respect  to  the  Field  Marshal.  You  see  three 
mounted  officers  between  a  guard  on  white  horses  and  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  299 

escort  following.  The  central  figure,  partially  hidden  by 
the  German  flag  at  the  head  of  the  escort,  in  the  rear  of 
the  three  mounted  officers,  is  the  Field  Marshal.  He 
passes  through  and  leaves  the  court  by  a  gate  to  the  left. 
His  escort  embraces  officers  from  the  different  armies. 
The  American  Sixth  Cavalry  lines  the  way  between  the 
gate  on  which  we  stand  and  the  next  gate  behind  us  to- 
ward the  Chien-men,  and  representatives  of  troops  from 
other  nations  occupy  positions  along  the  route  followed. 

Before  we  can  enter  yonder  sacred  portal  we  must  ob- 
tain a  permit  from  General  Chaffee  or  General  Yamaguchi 
who  at  the  time  are  in  command  of  the  American  and  Jap- 
anese forces.  Very  naturally  after  a  place  so  important 
as  this  is  thrown  open  for  the  first  time  in  history,  there 
is  an  irrepressible  desire  to  peer  within ;  restriction  is  nec- 
essary and  permits  are  required.  After  some  delay  these 
are  received ;  then  a  further  delay  is  entailed  because  one 
must  wait  until  permits  have  been  granted  to  a  number, 
when  an  officer  is  detailed  to  accompany  the  party.  Pre- 
vious arrangements  have  been  made  with  the  native  care- 
takers of  the  Palace,  who  also  must  accompany  us  to  see 
that  nothing  is  taken  or  disturbed.  Notwithstanding  this 
precaution  and  vigilance  nearly  all  portable  articles  in  the 
buildings  have  disappeared. 

We  will  descend  and  enter  at  that  middle  door,  where 
we  find  a  number  of  well-dressed  court  guards,  who  will 
follow  us  at  every  turn.  Within  the  court  beyond  we  shall 
pass  to  the  west  side  and  look  toward  the  northeast.  See 
red  lines  on  the  map  connected  with  the  number  8i. 


300  CHINA  THROUGH    THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

*x.  Within  the  Forbidden  City  and  Home  of  the  J^m- 
press  Dowager— Harmony  Gate  from  Mlevated 
Walk  near  Canal,  Pekin. 

We  are  at  last  within  the  Sacred  City,  where,  until 
now,  none  of  all  those  who  have  visited  Pekin  have  ever 
been;  within  grounds  from  which  all  the  foreign  minis- 
ters and  high  functionaries  of  state  have  been  excluded. 
And  now  that  we  are  within,  what  are  we  to  see  to  reward 
a  mysterious  exclusion  for  all  these  centuries?  The  ex- 
pression of  all  who  have  passed  through  these  royal  en- 
closures is  that  of  disappointment.  Royal  domiciles  the 
world  over  have  taught  us  to  expect  to  find  therein  a 
lavish  expenditure  of  wealth  in  art  and  architecture,  and 
why  not  expect  such  things  in  this  venerable  arcanum  of 
Chinese  and  Manchurian  sovereigns  ?  On  the  other  hand, 
in  all  that  we  have  thus  far  seen  of  China  we  have  not 
been  encouraged  to  expect  great  things,  except,  probably, 
in  walls.  Decay  and  dilapidation  have  characterized  all 
places  under  native  rule  from  Canton  to  the  Capital,  and 
why  should  we  expect  it  to  be  otherwise  here?  We  will 
not  find  it  otherwise.  Let  us  venture  to  look  around. 
We  are  in  the  first  court  and  within  the  great  South  Gate 
of  the  Forbidden  City ;  we  have  turned  a  little  off  to  the 
left  and  ascended  for  a  short  distance  an  inclined  cause- 
way leading  to  side  buildings.  We  look  diagonally  across 
the  court  toward  an  interior  gate,  called  "  Tai-ha-men." 
Already  since  leaving  the  Chien-men  we  have  passed 
through  four  stupendous  gates.  What  an  egregious  fad 
in  gates  and  walls !     And  how  little  whims  and  fancies 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  301 

develop,  in  time,  into  monstrous  follies !  But  to  the  Chi- 
nese taste  these  gates  are  things  of  beauty.  The  most  we 
see  here  is  roof.  It  is  thus  over  the  country ;  buildings  are 
mostly  roof ;  and  one  roof  is  not  enough ;  there  are  gener- 
ally two,  and  often  many  attachments.  Everything  in 
China  has  an  uncared-for  appearance.  Look  at  the  weeds 
and  grass  growing  up  from  the  pavements ;  that  canal  is 
without  water ;  and  look  at  the  shrubs  growing  from  the 
chinks  in  the  walls.  There  is  grass  and  wild  herbage 
enough  about  this  court  to  graze  a  flock  of  goats ;  neither 
is  this  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  royal  occupants ;  it  is 
characteristic  of  the  palace  grounds,  and  it  is  characteris- 
tic of  China.  Those  massive  rails  before  the  gate  and 
around  it  and  along  the  canal  near  us  are  elaborately  sculp- 
tured in  white  marble;  but  when  once  finished  they  are 
left  for  time  and  neglect  to  write  their  traceries  upon  them. 
The  yellow  glazed  tiles  of  the  roofs  and  the  dark  green 
ornamental  painting  on  the  interior  wooden  work  of  the 
gate  afford  an  agreeable  contrast  to  the  colorless  city  out- 
side. Those  pillars  of  the  gate  are  of  wood,  as  is  the  en- 
tire inner  structure.  The  two  bronze  lions  guarding  the 
approach  are  works  of  art,  at  least  of  the  Chinese  order, 
and  were  probably  cast  during  the  Ming  reign  when  the 
bronze  age  was  in  its  zenith. 

We  have  made  a  cursory  survey  of  all  within  our  view 
except  the  solitary  living  figure,  a  half -grown  lad,  who,  I 
scarcely  need  say,  is  not  a  member  of  the  royal  household 
left  behind,  but  my  own  solemn-visaged,  though  very  serv- 
iceable native  boy.     He  was  rather  averse  to  standing  be- 


302  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

fore  the  camera,  but  did  not  see  his  way  to  escape  decently, 
being  in  my  employ.  This  accounts  partially  for  his  de- 
mure countenance,  although  in  his  general  state  of  mind 
he  was  cross,  but  honest.  This  is  a  Christian  boy  fur- 
nished to  me  by  missionaries.  They  said  his  father  was 
chased  away  by  the  Boxers  and  had  not  been  heard  of 
since.  The  family  were  reduced  to  poverty  and  the  boy 
was  manfully  trying  to  do  what  he  could  to  support  them. 
He  took  care  of  the  room  which  I  occupied  for  a  month, 
sometimes  acting  as  my  porter.  He  had  more  honor  than 
the  average  Chinaman.  On  one  occasion  I  hinted  that 
something  had  disappeared  from  my  room;  this  touched 
his  pride  so  painfully  that  he  left  me  for  twenty-four 
hours,  but  returned  at  the  end  of  that  time  after  wages 
due  him  and  making  me  to  understand  that  "  he  no  stealee 
boy."  We  thereupon  became  reconciled  until  another  day 
when  we  had  a  serio-comical  falling  out  because  I  found 
him  wiping  my  dishes — I  should  not  say  dishes ;  dishes  is 
too  plural  for  a  plate  and  a  cup — with  his  coat-tail.  The 
culmination,  however,  was  a  protest  with  no  serious  re- 
sults ;  we  became  reconciled  again,  and  I  furnished  a  dish- 
cloth and  we  parted  friends. 

When  we  pass  up  that  balustered  approach  to  the  gate 
we  shall  tread  upon  dragons  sculptured  in  bold  relief  in 
the  pavement  blocks  of  marble.  Passing  through  and  en- 
tering another  smaller  court,  on  the  farther  side  of  which 
stands  one  of  the  royal  halls,  we  turn  to  the  right  and  look 
westward  along  its  front.     See  map. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  303 

83'  Architectural  Ideas  of  the  Imperial  Chinese— 
Building  in  Second  Court  of  the  Forbidden  City, 
Pekin. 

Is  not  this  disappointing  ?  Certainly  it  is  of  exceeding 
interest;  it  is  within  the  Forbidden  City.  That  alone 
would  give  great  interest  to  the  scene,  but  it  is  one  of  the 
main  buildings  of  the  palace.  That  fact  adds  further  to 
its  interest,  yet  architecturally  it  is  disappointing  and  far 
from  being  palatial  in  appearance.  There  is  little  of  the 
imposing  grandeur  we  expect  to  find  surrounding  royalty. 
We  would  not,  of  course,  expect  to  find  it  comparable  with 
imperial  homes  in  European  countries;  but  it  does  not 
compare  with  many  palaces  in  other  Oriental  countries, 
nor  other  structures  even  in  China,  such  as  the  Fukien 
Guild  Hall  at  Ningpo,  or  the  Ancestral  Hall  at  Canton. 

There  is  nothing  to  distinguish  the  building  from  any 
old  temple,  or  tea-house,  or  Yamen,  or  private  home  of  a 
mandarin ;  and  we  should  scarcely  expect  anything  differ- 
ent when  we  recollect  that  the  Chinese  are  a  people  of  a 
single  idea — one  idea  in  everything ;  more  than  one  would 
denote  progress,  a  lack  of  which  is  the  distinguishing  trait 
of  the  people — one  idea  in  art — and  one  in  architecture. 
All  buildings  are  on  the  same  plan;  a  temple  may  be 
turned  into  a  palace  and  vice  versa,  which  is  often  done. 
Private  houses,  pavilions,  shops,  palaces,  pai-lau,  temples 
and  even  gateways  embody  but  one  architectural  idea; 
hence  in  this  sacred  and  long  secluded  sanctum  of  the  im- 
perial family  you  see  only  the  same  old  rickety  heaps  of 


304  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

brick  and  tile.  T|ie  Chinaman  aims  at  perpetuity  rather 
than  progress,  and  who  can  say  he  has  not  succeeded? 
He  and  Time  are  old  friends,  and  he  regards  progress  as 
an  upstart.  We  fail  to  find  anything  out  of  the  usual  in 
the  buildings ;  we  see  some  carved  tablets  on  the  pillars ; 
we  see  weather-worn  awnings  over  the  doors.  The  roof 
tiling  is  of  a  superior  quality.  The  court  flagging  is  out 
of  repair;  but  the  bronze  figures  are  beautiful;  also  the 
bronze  cisterns  and  the  urns  or  altars,  all  of  which  we  are 
naturally  disposed  to  credit  to  the  bronze  age  of  the 
Mings.  Bronzes  are  cast  at  the  present  time,  but  it  is 
unreasonable  to  suppose  that  inferior  modem  bronzes 
would  be  found  in  such  a  place. 

To  a  certain  extent  we  may  say  the  Chinese  ideas  of 
architecture  result  more  or  less  from  their  religious  ideas. 
Spirits  prevail  everywhere  and  houses  must  be  arranged 
so  as  to  make  it  difficult  for  them  to  enter.  As  spirits  go 
in  a  straight  line,  it  is  not  wise  to  have  buildings  higher 
than  the  city  wall,  otherwise  you  might  have  undesirable 
visitants.  So  all  buildings  are  one  story.  T.he  mythical 
creatures  in  bronze  or  marble  placed  out  by  the  entrance 
are  supposed  to  have  a  real  influence  in  keeping  out  evil 
spirits  and  preserving  the  peace  of  the  household.  Geo- 
mancers  are  a  necessary  part  of  the  palace  officials,  and 
they  keep  the  imperial  household  well  stirred  up  lest  the 
feng-shui  should  not  be  right.  They  also  reap  a  silver 
harvest  in  the  process. 

That  object  resembling  the  common  form  of  the  Ameri- 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  305 

can  heating  stove  is  the  altar.  On  this  incense  and  offer- 
ings are  burned  to  the  so-called  divinities,  or  heroes  who 
are  liable  to  become  divinities  in  time;  but  hero  worship 
and  pantheism  in  China  is  an  infinity  of  idiocy  more  piti- 
able than  interesting,  and  we  pass  it  by  and  introduce  you 
to  a  trio  of  celestial  court  flunkies.  Those  fellows  are  not 
simply  posing  for  a  picture,  they  are  keeping  a  sharp  sur- 
veillance over  every  movement  of  the  photographer.  I 
necessarily  fell  behind  the  party  in  making  these  stereo- 
graphs, and  these  three  linger  to  watch  my  movements  in 
case  I  might  carry  off  that  cistern  or  pocket  those  birds. 
By  their  style  of  dress  we  see  that  two  of  them  are  some- 
what important;  those  are  caps  of  consequence;  the 
feather  behind  is  particularly  consequential ;  besides,  they 
are  portly  men,  and  obesity  in  this  country  usually  keeps 
pace  with  functionary  importance.  Mandarins  are  gen- 
erally fat  men. 

There  is  a  Western  clock  at  the  farther  end  of  the  porch. 
It  is  not  going,  and  one  wonders  whether  it  stopped  at  the 
time  the  imperial  household  fled. 

We  enter  the  building  and  see  considerable  furniture 
of  fine  workmanship,  and  some  art  treasures  and  bric-a- 
brac  not  easily  moved,  most  movable  belongings  having 
been  looted  or  carried  away  in  the  hegira.  We  leave  this 
hall  on  the  opposite  side,  and,  passing  through  another 
gate,  and  entering  a  third  court,  we  take  a  similar  position 
before  another  hall.     See  map. 


3o6  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

83.  Home  of  the  World's  Most  Remarkable  Ruler— 
J^ntrance  of  the  Palace  Occupied  by  China's 
Famous  impress  Dowager,  Forbidden  City, 
Pekin. 

Were  it  not  for  the  different  ornamental  objects  of  art 
and  worship,  you  would  scarcely  know  we  are  before  an- 
other building  and  in  another  court,  the  similarity  in  the 
appearance  of  structures  is  so  great;  and  yet  this  is  the 
private  room  of  the  Empress.  On  the  pillars  in  the  porch 
there  are  the  same  carved  tablets  and  similar  faded  and 
weather-worn  awnings,  but  the  bronze  articles  of  decora- 
tion are  of  a  higher  order.  They  are  for  the  gaze  of  the 
imperial  eyes  and  are  of  finer  mold.  T,he  incense  burn- 
ers are  more  delicate  and  slender  and  more  richly  deco- 
rated ;  the  marble  bases  on  which  they  stand  are  covered 
with  six  or  seven  patterns  of  ornamentation.  The  base 
and  pedestal  of  the  dragon  are  beautifully  ornate  in  design 
and  workmanship.  The  dragon  himself,  as  though  con- 
scious of  posing  before  royalty,  looks  his  prettiest,  giving 
the  most  gracious  and  graceful  curves  to  his  wonted  con- 
tortions; his  hair  is  styUshly  set  up  in  fluffy  tufts;  his 
mustache  has  a  dainty  twirl,  and  while  his  mouth  lacks  the 
curves  of  Cupid's  bow,  he  probably  knows  that  at  times,  in 
art,  the  most  hideous  is  the  most  beautiful. 

Even  in  this  court  of  the  apartments  of  the  Empress, 
we  see  weeds  intruding,  other  than  widow's  weeds;  we 
see  also  cedar  trees  which  are  well-nigh  sacred  in  China 
as  in  many  Eastern  countries ;  they  are  especially  the 
trees  of  the  cemeteries. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  307 

The  watchmen  are  still  upon  our  tracks ;  two  are  those 
who  were  with  us  in  the  last  court.  One  of  the  two,  at- 
tired in  dark  silk  garments,  has  probably  gone  to  skirmish 
the  advance  members  of  our  party,  while  another  takes  his 
place  to  complete  the  indispensable  lucky  number.  There 
is  something  almost  pathetic  about  the  shorn  authority  of 
these  palace  guardians.  Never  before  have  they  seen 
even  the  highest  of  their  kindred,  outside  the  royal  family 
within  these  walls ;  now  soldiers,  civiHans,  photographers 
and  all  sorts  of  "foreign  devils"  are  tramping  through  and 
desecrating  the  sacred  grounds.  What,  then,  must  be  the 
feelings  of  the  Empress  and  the  Emperor  and  Prince 
Tuan  and  other  members  whose  mighty  highness  has  been 
so  long  unapproachable  and  invisible,  to  see  the  despised 
Westerner  in  full  control  and  peering  into  all  the  sacred 
nooks  of  their  much-walled  and  inviolable  asylum? 
Surely  they  must  think  hereafter,  if  they  have  not  thought 
heretofore,  that,  in  colloquial  parlance,  there  are  others. 
They  have  been  punished  and  humiliated  before,  but  they 
soon  regained  "  face,"  i.  e.,  prestige.  To  dislodge  a 
Chinese  idea  is  a  great  undertaking. 

While  we  are  before  the  apartments  of  the  Empress  I 
should  tell  you  that  only  a  small  portion  of  her  time  is 
spent  here.  Her  summers  are  spent  at  the  Summer  Palace 
among  the  western  hills,  thirteen  miles  from  Pekin,  which 
we  shall  visit  later,  and  her  favorite  retreat  within  the  city 
is  a  private  palace,  near  the  lake  in  the  Imperial  City,  one- 
half  mile  west  of  the  Forbidden  City.  That  palace  was  oc- 
cupied by  Field  Marshal  Count  von  Waldersee  while  the 


3o8  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE, 

allied  armies  were  in  the  capital  and  has  since  been  burned 
down. 

We  will  pass  through  the  Hall  of  the  Elmpress,  which 
scarcely  contains  anything  worthy  of  a  stereograph,  even 
if  the  smallness  of  the  rooms  and  the  poor  illumination  did 
not  prevent  photographic  operations;  then  we  enter  an- 
other building  called  the  Tai-ho-tien,  or  "  Hall  of  Highest 
Peace,"  which  is  apparently  the  most  imposing  structure 
in  the  Forbidden  City.  It  is  over  a  hundred  feet  in  height 
and  elevated  on  a  terrace  twenty  feet  above  the  ground. 
It  is  ascended  by  successive  marble  steps  ornamented  with 
magnificent  balustrades  in  richly  sculptured  marble.  The 
main  hall  is  two  hundred  feet  in  length  by  ninety  feet  in 
width  and  contains  seventy-two  pillars;  in  the  center  of 
this  is  the  Dragon  T)irone. 

84»    Sacred  to  the   "Son  of  Heaven" — Grand  Throne 
in  the  Mmperor's  Palace,  Forbidden  City,  Pekin. 

We  stand  before  the  Dragon  Throne.  This  is  the  finest 
and  most  important  hall  in  the  Palace.  It  is  surely  the 
chef-d'ceuvre  of  Chinese  artisans,  architects  and  sculptors. 
Notice  the  deeply  paneled  ceiling  and  the  vast  elaboration 
of  carving  on  everything.  The  screen  behind  the  mon- 
arch's seat  of  state  is  an  intricate  lace-work  in  wood.  The 
dragon,  of  course,  holds  the  first  place,  indeed  all  the 
places,  in  ornamental  designs.  The  throne  itself  is  a  capa- 
cious and  massive  aflFair  carved  in  black  wood.  The  floor 
of  this  great  hall  is  marble ;  the  floor  of  the  dais  on  which 
the  royal  chair  stands  is  exquisitely  inlaid.     The  incense 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  309 

urns  and  figures  are  of  bronze ;  the  ascent  to  the  throne  is 
by  three  steps.  There  is  no  scarcity  of  fine  moral  senti- 
ments inscribed  on  tablets  and  walls ;  that  motto  in  large 
characters  over  the  throne  is,  as  nearly  as  translatable  into 
English,  "  Purity  and  Righteousness,"  and  on  the  vertical 
tablet  at  the  right  hand  is,  "  The  first  step  in  adjusting  the 
universe  is  to  keep  constantly  in  mind  the  shaping  of  one's 
own  character."  As  to  whether  there  is  any  palpable  mis- 
fit about  any  of  these  fine  ethical  sentiments  surrounding 
the  throne  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  there  may  be  diversity 
of  opinion.  The  other  inscriptions  are  too  incomplete  or 
indistinct  for  translation.  Williams  says  in  his  "  Middle 
Kingdom  "  :  "  Here  the  Emperor  holds  his  levees  on  New 
Year's  Day,  his  birthdays,  and  other  state  occasions ;  a 
cortege  of  about  fifty  household  courtiers  stand  near  him, 
while  those  of  inferior  dignity  and  rank  stand  in  the  court 
below  in  regular  grades,  and,  when  called  upon,  fall  pros- 
trate as  they  all  make  the  fixed  obeisances.  It  is  in  this 
hall  that  Titsingh  and  Van  Braam  were  banqueted  by 
Kienlung,  January  20,  1795,  of  which  interesting  cere- 
mony the  Dutch  Ambassador  gives  an  account  and  since 
which  event  no  European  has  entered  the  building,"  until, 
we  may  now  add,  the  allied  armies  of  Europe  and  America 
entered  it,  in  1900. 

There  is  another  hall  where  the  Emperor  comes  to  ex- 
amine written  prayers  to  be  offered  at  the  state  worship. 
There  is  another  where  the  highest  degrees  for  literary 
merit  are  awarded  every  three  years.  And  beyond  this 
stands  the  "  Palace  of  Earth's  Repose,"  or,  stripped  of 


3IO  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

metaphor,  the  Imperial  Harem,  Another  building  far- 
ther north  and  near  the  northern  gate  is  called  the  "  Hall 
of  Intense  Thought,"  where  offerings  are  made  to  Con- 
fucius and  other  sages.  There  is  also  the  Imperial  Li- 
brary and  the  Ancestral  Hall,  where  the  members  of  the 
royal  family  offer  homage  to  their  departed  ancestors. 
There  are  other  buildings  too  numerous  to  mention ;  but 
the  number  of  persons  living  within  these  sacred  walls  is 
not  large  and  nearly  all  are  of  the  line  of  the  alien  con- 
querors. How  many  times  servile  subordinates  have 
stood  in  the  court  near  where  we  stand  and  made  the  nine 
regulation  obeisances  before  the  "  Son  of  Heaven,"  seated 
on  this  throne;  and  we  come  and  go  and  neither  make 
obeisances  nor  "  Chin,  chin  "  to  anybody !  How  preten- 
tious and  absurd  kingcraft  appears  to  democracy!  We 
have  seen  enough  to  convince  us  that  while  certain  things 
show  infinite  labor  and  some  skill,  the  general  appearance 
and  condition  of  this  place,  show  Tsz'  Kin  Ching,  or 
"  Carnation  Prohibited  City "  to  be  a  parody  of  high- 
sounding  names. 

We  leave  the  palace  at  the  northern  gate,  near  the  foot 
of  the  Mei-shan.  We  then  turn  to  the  left  and  stop  to  in- 
spect a  Pekinese  cart.  Our  position  and  field  of  vision  is 
given  on  the  map  by  the  red  lines,  marked  85,  which  start 
near  the  northwestern  part  of  the  Forbidden  City  and 
extend  slightly  northeast. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  3II 

*5«  Typical  Springless,  Seatless,  Chinese  Coach — 
looking  toward  Coal  Hill,  in  Imperial  City, 
Pekin. 

There  is  scarcely  an  illustrated  work  on  China  which 
does  not  give  a  picture  of  this  celebrated  Pekinese  vehicle. 
It  is  entitled  to  a  world-wide  celebrity  for  its  negative 
and  infernal  qualities ;  there  is  nothing  which  shows  the 
sluggish  inaptitude  and  inadaptability  of  the  Chinese  mind 
better  than  a  Pekinese  cart.  Its  evolution  covers  mil- 
lenniums, and  yet  its  unaltered  primordial  capacity  for  in- 
flicting torture  on  the  traveller  cannot  be  imagined.  Be- 
fore coming  to  Pekin  a  friend  warned  me  against  these 
carts,  and  now  I  realize  he  was  a  true  friend ;  but  his  warn- 
ing did  not  qualify  my  anticipation — to  know,  a  person 
must  ride  in  one.  I  had  but  a  single  experience — I  rode  a 
mile  only,  and  yet  I  know.  They  do  not  look  different 
from  other  carts,  but  they  are  different.  I  imagine  that 
the  passing  of  the  Car  of  Juggernaut  over  one's  body 
would  produce  a  wooing  sensation  as  compared  to  the  jolt- 
ing of  a  Pekinese  cart.  They  are  not  only  without  springs, 
the  axle  and  wheels  are  very  heavy,  the  latter  filled  with 
bolts  to  give  strength ;  the  tire  is  of  heavy  iron  and  its 
outer  surface,  in  nearly  all  carts,  is  filled  with  knobs  or 
bolt-heads  an  inch  high  and  an  inch  apart,  though  the  cart 
before  us  lacks  the  customary  knobs  on  the  tire.  The 
heavy  tire  protects  the  felloe,  and  the  knobs  are  intended 
to  protect  the  tire.  The  solid  upper  structure  is  bolted 
unyieldingly  to  the  axle.  There  is  no  seat.  Besides  all 
this  there  is  an  inherent  mysterious  rigidity  about  the  axle 


312  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

which  I  have  never  been  able  to  understand.  The  interior 
is  vei  y  narrow  and  very  low,  and  the  only  entrance  is  at 
the  front.  I  wished  to  visit  the  Summer  Palace  out  on 
the  western  hills  thirteen  miles  distant.  The  missionaries 
told  me  I  must  take  a  cart ;  and  I  have  not  yet  quite  for- 
given their  poor  but  well-meant  advice.  I  engaged  the 
cart,  placed  my  camera  and  box  and  other  paraphernalia 
within.  There  was  no  seat,  and  I  secured  an  empty  box 
as  a  substitute.  I  perched  on  this  and  we  were  off.  Chi- 
nese horses  are  small,  but  they  are  somewhat  lively,  at 
least  it  seemed  so  to  me  on  this  occasion.  I  expected  to 
find  the  horses  as  slow  and  plodding  as  the  people,  and 
that  it  would  be  a  leisurely  walk  of  thirteen  miles.  The 
horse  at  once  struck  an  impetuous  gate ;  the  road  was  of 
course  the  worst  possible.  My  apparatus  was  soon  flying 
about  in  the  most  reckless  fashion ;  my  hands  were  both 
occupied  in  holding  fast  to  my  extemporized  seat,  using 
my  elbows  as  springs ;  ruts  and  bottomless  mud-holes  are 
plentiful,  but  the  one  gait  is  maintained,  and  I  bumped 
from  side  to  side;  my  hat  went  off  and  scampered  with 
the  apparatus.  I  was  at  once  convinced  it  was  to  be  the 
roughest  locomotion  I  had  ever  tried,  and  I  have  tried 
nearly  everything.  Others  had  travelled  in  that  way,  even 
some  missionary  ladies  had  preceded  me  to  the  Summer 
Palace  in  a  similar  cart,  and  both  my  pluck  and  endurance 
were  at  stake.  I  hoped  for  the  road  to  become  better,  but 
it  became  worse.  I  feared  the  destruction  of  my  camera 
and  plates,  yet  I  could  not  quit  my  hold.  The  jolting  was 
excruciating ;  it  was  not  the  mere  possibility  of  dislocation 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  313 

of  joints ;  I  would  not  mind  that ;  it  was  the  more  serious 
matter  of  telescoping  the  vertebrae.  I  pitched  up  and 
down  and  from  side  to  side.  With  grim  clutch  I  sup- 
ported this  churning  and  pounding  for  something  over  a 
mile,  when  I  quite  lost  my  temper;  I  did  not  swear,  but 
was  verily  in  a  profane  mood.  I  kicked  the  driver, 
who  sat  over  the  cross-bar  in  front  as  a  signal  to 
stop.  This  he  did,  when  in  sheer  desperation  I  re- 
moved my  portables,  ordered  the  cart  to  return,  en- 
gaged two  street  coolies  to  accompany  me,  and  made  the 
journey  and  return,  twenty-six  miles,  on  foot.  The 
agonies  of  this,  my  first  and  last  attempt,  to  exploit  a 
Pekinese  cart  would  have  been  appreciably  diminished 
had  I  known  the  proper  way  of  adjusting  one's  person  to 
the  exigencies  of  the  vehicle.  No  seat  is  ever  used,  but 
instead  mattresses  and  cushions  are  placed  on  the  bottom 
and  occupants  recline  and  do  not  attempt  to  sit  erect ;  but 
even  with  the  body  thus  disposed,  the  thrashing  and 
pounding  to  which  one  is  subjected  is  but  slightly  modi- 
fied. In  a  single  day  between  sunrise  and  sunset  I  have 
made  one  hundred  and  seventeen  miles  in  a  springless, 
Russian  post-wagon  with  relays  of  horses;  but  that  was 
as  nothing  compared  with  a  few  miles  in  a  Pekinese  cart. 
The  Chinese  have  devised  many  unique  modes  of  torture, 
but  none  of  them  show  so  successful  an  application  of 
means  to  an  end  as  this  homicidal  cart.  There  is  another 
style  of  cart  used  in  the  capital,  but  it  is  only  used  by 
royalty.  In  the  royal  cart  the  wheel  is  placed  behind  and 
the  cloth  trimmings  are  all  in  imperial  yellow. 


314  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

Do  you  recognize  the  land-mark  which  has  been  several 
times  pointed  out  from  our  former  positions  ?  I  mean  the 
Mei-shan,  or  Prospect  Hill,  or  the  Coal  Hill  or  Mountain, 
for  it  is  known  by  all  these  names.  Now  we  are  quite 
near  and  can  see  distinctly  some  of  the  pavilions  on  the 
different  points  of  elevation.  That  is  a  French  soldier 
peering  at  us  on  the  right. 

Have  you  noticed  the  strange  gate-like  structures  be- 
tween us  and  the  hill  ?  We  will  walk  over  for  a  nearer 
view  of  the  latter.  On  the  map  this  new  position  is  given 
by  the  red  lines  connected  with  the  number  86  just  north 
of  the  Forbidden  City. 

86.    Carious   Chinese  Architectnre— Typical    Gateway 
oyer  a  Street  in  the  Imperial  City,  Pekin. 

These  curious  structures,  resembling  gateways,  are 
called  pai-lau,  and  may  be  found  scattered  over  the  Em- 
pire. They  are  erected  to  commemorate  distinguished 
men,  or  by  officers  in  memory  of  their  parents.  Permis- 
sion to  erect  a  pai-lau  must  be  obtained  from  the  Emperor, 
and  such  permission  is  always  looked  upon  as  a  high 
mark  of  honor.  They  are  sometimes  put  up  in  honor  of 
women  who  have  been  noted  for  purity  and  filial  devo- 
tion, and  also  in  honor  of  widows  who  have  declined  a 
second  marriage.  Sometimes  men  erect  ante-mortem  pai- 
lau  to  themselves.  They  have  frequently  been  called 
triumphal  arches,  but  this  is  altogether  a  misnomer,  for 
where  there  have  been  no  triumphs  surely  there  can  be  no 
triumphal  arches ;  besides,  they  are  never  in  the  form  of 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  315 

an  arch.  They  are  sometimes  constructed  of  stone,  but 
more  generally  of  wood,  and  often  elaborately  carved. 
There  is  sometimes  a  massive  profusion  of  bracket  work 
below  a  heavy  protecting  roof  of  tiling,  indeed,  one  of  the 
strangest  peculiarities  of  Chinese  architecture  is  an  ex- 
aggerated system  of  complex  bracket  work,  and  this  may 
generally  be  seen  in  the  pai-lau.  These  commemoration 
portals  are  usually  placed  in  streets  before  temples  and 
government  offices;  sometimes,  however,  ordinary  gate- 
ways placed  at  the  ends  of  streets  are  mistaken  for  honor- 
ary portals.  I  suppose  you  have  observed  the  triplicate 
form  of  the  pai-lau — any  number  outside  of  three  and  its 
multiples,  you  will  remember,  is  as  fatal  as  the  ill-omened 
thirteen.  Here  we  have  a  perspective  of  three  portals  all 
lying  between  the  Forbidden  City  and  the  Mei-shan.  We 
erect  statues  and  tablets  to  commemorate  persons  of  dis- 
tinction ;  the  Chinese  erect  pai-lau  and  place  a  tablet 
thereon,  their  statues  being  chiefly  confined  to  the  tem- 
ples. You  see  the  tablets  on  these,  the  first  being  by  a 
free  translation,  "  Blessing  for  the  People,"  and  the  one 
on  the  second  pai-lau,  "  A  Bright  Sky  and  Gear  Mirror," 
whatever  that  may  mean.  From  these  mottoes  it  is  evi- 
dent they  are  public  memorials. 

The  Great  Lama  Temple  is  one  of  the  places  visited  by 
all  travellers  to  Pekin.  We  must  not  fail  to  make  at  least 
a  brief  survey.  Its  location  is  given  by  the  number  20  in 
black  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  Tartar  City.  We  shall 
stand  in  the  court  and  look  first  toward  the  northeast,  as 
the  red  lines  connected  with  the  number  87  show. 


31 6  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

87.    In  the  Court  of  the  Great  I^ama  Temple— showing 
I^ama  Priest  Turning  Prayer-wheel,  Pekin. 

You  may  remember  our  second  position  in  Pekin  when 
we  looked  from  the  Ha-ta  Gate  due  north,  along  what  is 
now  called  Von  Ketteler  Street.  We  are  now  at  the  ex- 
treme northern  end  of  that  street,  by  the  northern  wall  of 
the  Tartar  City,  within  the  court  of  the  chief  temple  of 
the  Lamas.  It  is  called  by  the  natives  the  Yung-ho  Kung, 
or  Lamasery  of  Eternal  Peace.  The  formation  of  the 
temple,  like  all  Chinese  buildings,  is  a  series  of  courts 
surrounded  by  low,  tile-roofed  structures  on  every  side; 
so  that  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  photographic  view  to 
show  more  than  one  side,  or  a  section  of  one  of  these 
courts.  In  the  center  of  this  court  is  a  pavilion  at  which 
a  number  of  priests  are  whiling  away  their  leisure,  and 
that  is  to  say,  their  lives;  for  their  life-time  and  leisure 
signify  about  the  same  thing.  This  gives  you  an  idea  of 
the  character  of  the  many  connected  edifices  all  of  one 
style,  chiefly  roof  as  before  mentioned ;  there  is,  however, 
one  building  much  higher  than  the  rest.  It  contains  a 
colossal  wooden  statue  of  Maitriya,  the  coming  Buddha. 
Notwithstanding  its  mean  appearance,  this  temple  is  con- 
sidered to  be  one  of  the  most  complete  in  all  its  arrange- 
ments for  study,  living  and  worship  in  the  country.  I 
suppose  when  1  say  it  is  considered  to  be  the  most  com- 
plete, I  should  explain  that  it  is  thus  considered  by  the 
natives.  My  own  opinion  is  that  it  is  one  of  the  most 
dirty,  dingy,  smoky,  ramshackle  establishments  in  the 
whole  world  and  filled  with  one  thousand  five  hundred 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  317 

Mongolian  and  Tibetan  ignorant  fanatics,  called  priests. 
Soon  I  shall  present  to  you  a  group  of  these  priests,  and  if 
you  are  somewhat  of  a  physiognomist,  I  will  submit 
whether  my  apparently  uncharitable  appellation  be  un- 
just. First,  though,  we  should  observe  the  priests  before 
us.  TJie  priest  nearest  us  assumed  that  dramatic  pose  of 
his  own  accord ;  I  did  not  prevent  him,  and  am  now  glad 
I  did  not,  as  it  helps  my  definition  of  the  group  you  are  to 
see  later.  Three  sit  by  the  wall  of  the  pavilion,  and  another 
turns  a  praying-machine ;  he  likewise  strengthens  my  un- 
kind arraignment  of  the  yellow-robed  conclave  which 
dwell  here.  The  praying-machine  should  be  explained. 
We  claim  to  lead  the  world  in  labor-saving  machinery, 
and  yet  we  have  not  perfected  a  genuine  praying-machine. 
That  we  have  sometimes  soporific  approximations  we  all 
know,  but  no  bona  fide  mills.  You  see  a  priest  couchant 
by  that  small  upright  frame  with  the  typical  Chinese  roof 
over  it;  he  is  turning  a  prayer-mill  by  a  short  stick  held 
in  his  hand  and  attached  to  a  crank  at  the  base  of  a  ver- 
tical cylinder  or  box.  The  prayer  is  written  on  paper  and 
attached  to  the  box,  and  every  time  it  revolves  the  writing 
is  prayed.  In  this  way  a  skillful  operator  can  turn  out  a 
great  many  prayers  in  the  course  of  the  day.  Sometimes 
the  crank  is  attached  to  a  water-wheel,  and  sometimes  to 
a  rude  wind-mill,  in  which  cases  the  devotee  can  retire 
while  the  mill  prays  on  through  the  night.  A  Lama  who 
establishes  one  of  these  plants  may,  with  a  stiff  breeze 
blowing,  consign  himself  to  the  arms  of  Morpheus,  and  in 
the  morning  find  himself  the  very  ne  plus  ultra  of  holi- 


3l8  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

ness.  These  priests  ought  to  be  good  men,  as  both  the 
elements  of  the  omnipotent  "  Feng-shui "  are  utilized  to 
that  end  (the  Chinese  fates,  called  Feng-shui,  reside  in 
wind  and  water).  In  the  native  land  of  the  Lamas  the 
praying-machine  is  universal.  At  the  door  of  every  house 
the  family  machine  stands,  and  every  one  who  enters  is 
supposed  to  give  it  a  twist  for  the  benefit  of  the  family. 
By  every  stream  that  affords  water-power  one  may  no- 
tice a  small  building  which  would  ordinarily  be  taken  for 
a  water-mill,  but  which  in  reality  is  a  prayer-mill,  where 
every  turn  of  the  wheel  is  sending  to  Heaven  the  stereo- 
typed invocation :  "  Om  Ma-ni  Pi-mi  Hom  " — O,  the 
jewel  in  the  Lotus,  Amen  ! 

But  I  promised  to  present  to  you  a  group  of  these  men 
sanctified  by  machinery.  We  need  only  turn  around  a 
short  distance  to  our  right. 

88.    I^ama  Priests   at  the  Tung-bo  Knng,   the   Great 
J^axna  Temple,  Pekin, 

These  are  Lama  priests  who  gathered  around  us  while 
we  were  looking  at  the  prayer-wheel.  In  ordinary  times 
it  would  be  impossible  to  induce  them  to  stand  to  be  pho- 
tographed, but  the  allied  armies  hold  the  city,  and  like  all 
Chinamen  they  are  more  meek  than  they  are  wont  to  be ; 
they  are  afraid  to  refuse  a  foreigner's  request;  yet  I  do 
not  like  to  practice  duress  on  men  of  cloth,  even  yellow 
cloth,  so  I  offer  them  money  and  they  hesitatingly  comply. 
They  are  of  all  ages,  some  venerable  in  the  service,  and 
some   mere   boys   preparing   for   the   priesthood.     They 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  319 

spend  their  time  in  idleness  or  in  studying  the  doctrines 
of  Buddha.  The  head  of  the  Lamasery  is  called  a  Gegen, 
who  is  considered  a  living  Buddha.  Their  studies  em- 
brace metaphysics,  ascetic  duties,  astrology,  medicine  and 
the  arts  of  laziness.  Their  regular  devotions  are  per- 
formed in  the  different  courts,  and  when  great  numbers 
are  engaged  at  the  same  time  in  their  chants  and  mill- 
prayers  the  effect  is  very  curious,  especially  if  the  mills 
should  not  be  well  lubricated,  and  a  universal  creaking 
mingles  in  the  chant. 

The  Gegen  is  usually  a  Tibetan,  as  are  many  of  the 
members.  Of  course  this  temple  is  a  monastery  as  well 
as  a  temple.  Buddhism  in  northern  Asia  is  called  Sha- 
manism, from  the  Chinese  words  Hwang-kiao,  which  sig- 
nify yellow  sect,  because  the  Buddhistic  order  of  priests 
the  world  over  wear  yellow  robes.  The  pontiff  of  Sha- 
manish  is  the  Grand-Lama  or  Da  lai  Lama  at  Lassa. 
Mongolia  and  Tibet  swarm  with  Lamas.  The  Lamas 
have  a  decalogue  which  is  not  unlike  the  Mosaic  in  many 
points:  (1)  Do  not  kill.  (2)  Do  not  steal.  (3)  Do  not 
commit  fornication.  (4)  Speak  not  falsely.  (5)  Drink 
no  wine  nor  eat  flesh.  (6)  Look  not  on  gay  silks  or  neck- 
laces, use  no  perfumed  ointment,  and  paint  not  the  body. 

(7)  Neither  sing  nor  dance,  and  do  no  sleight  of  hand 
tricks  or  gymnastic  acts,  and  go  not  to  see  or  hear  them. 

(8)  Sit  not  on  a  high,  large  couch.  (9)  Do  not  eat  out  of 
lime.  (10)  Do  not  grasp  hold  of  living  images,  gold, 
silver,  money  or  any  valuable  thing.  The  tenth  will  be  a 
sore  test  for  the  average  mortal.     I'he  great  resemblance 


320  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

of  the  ceremonials  of  the  Buddhists  and  those  of  the 
Romish  Church  has  led  to  much  discussion  as  to  which 
has  copied  from  the  other.  The  distinguished  scholar 
and  writer,  Abbe  Hue,  enumerates  some  of  the  similari- 
ties as  follows :  "  The  cross,  the  mitre,  the  dolmatica,  the 
cape  which  the  Lamas  wear  on  their  journeys,  or  when 
performing  some  ceremony  out  of  the  temple ;  the  service 
with  double  choir,  the  psalmody,  the  exorcism,  the  censer 
suspended  from  five  chains,  which  you  can  open  or  close 
at  pleasure ;  the  benedictions  given  by  extending  the  right 
hand  over  the  heads  of  the  faithful ;  the  rosary,  ecclesias- 
tical celibacy,  spiritual  retirement,  worship  of  saints;  the 
fasts,  processions,  litanies,  and  holy  water — all  these  are 
analogies  between  ourselves  and  the  Buddhists."  Some 
claim  that  Lamaism  and  Buddhism  have  copied  their 
ritual  from  Romanism  and  others  that  Romanism  has  de- 
rived its  forms  from  paganism,  and  there  have  been  those 
who  argue  that  the  simulation  of  the  ceremonials  of  the 
two  religions  is  a  machination  of  the  devil ;  however,  cere- 
monials are  but  ceremonials,  and  we  will  look  again  at 
these  representatives  of  Lamaism  in  their  dirty  yellow, 
cotton  robes,  and  with  their  shaven  heads.  The  tenets  of 
their  religion  may  be  well  enough  and  their  rituals  well 
enough,  but  what  sort  of  an  exposition  of  a  religious  life 
can  we  expect  from  men  and  boys  of  types  like  those  be- 
fore us.  I  suppose  in  all  religions  we  must  expect  great 
discrepancies  between  tenets  and  their  exemplification. 
The  Lama's  tenth  commandment  says :  "  Do  not  grasp 
hold  of  living  images,  gold,  silver,  money  or  any  valuable 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  32 1 

thing,"'  and  some  of  these  priests  followed  me  at  least  a 
half-mile  clamoring  all  the  way  for  money,  and  extor- 
tionate money ;  at  last  1  compromised  for  a  Mexican  dol- 
lar. There  is  a  fine  bronze  lion  beyond  the  priests  with 
a  much  better  countenance  than  most  of  these  disciples  of 
the  Da  lai  Lama  at  Lassa. 

Speaking  of  these  priests  to  a  well-informed  man  who 
had  lived  in  Pekin  for  years,  he  said :  "  This  great  Lama- 
sery was  once  the  residence  of  Chien  Lung,  Crown  Prince 
in  1770.  For  that  reason  it  could  never  be  used  for  pri- 
vate purposes  again,  so  it  was  turned  over  to  the  Lamas 
from  Mongolia.  These  Lamas  represent  a  distinct  type 
of  Buddhist,  and  are  perhaps  the  most  worthless  human 
beings  on  the  earth.  They  are  very  bigoted,  but  do  not 
understand  why  or  wherefore  they  are  Buddhists.  The 
Emperor  supplies  their  needs  by  a  generous  subsidy  each 
year  so  as  to  keep  them  quiet.  The  Chinese  from  time 
immemorial  have  bought  the  subjection  of  the  peoples 
who  might  be  called  their  conquered  enemies.  Before  the 
siege,  it  was  risky  business  for  foreigners  to  attempt  to 
visit  the  Lamasery,  for  he  might  not  be  allowed  to  leave 
except  by  the  payment  of  a  large  sum  of  money.  These 
priests  are  filthy  in  their  habits  and  have  no  regard  for 
the  common  virtues  of  truth  and  decency.  The  Living 
Buddhas  (Gegen)  sometimes  get  into  trouble  among 
themselves,  and  one  day  a  Gegen  was  seen  going  down 
the  street  with  blood  flowing  down  his  face." 

The  Tibetan  Lamas  have  another  large  temple  outside 
the  north  gate  of  the  city. 


32  2  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

We  are  now  to  leave  this  extreme  northern  end  of  Von 
Ketteler  Street,  and  are  about  to  take  a  walk  of  two  miles 
south  to  the  Ha-ta  Gate.  So  we  will  just  hand  over  to 
these  Tibetan  Lamas  that  which  they  are  forbidden  to 
take  or  "  grasp  hold  of,"  and  then  away.  At  the  Ha-ta 
Gate  where  we  obtained  our  first  sight  of  the  city,  we  will 
follow  along  the  top  of  the  wall  eastward  until  we  reach 
the  east  wall,  and  this  we  follow  northward  for  only  a 
short  distance  and  we  reach  the  Imperial  Observatory, 
Note  on  the  map  the  red  lines  and  the  number  89  near  the 
southeastern  comer  of  the  Tartar  City. 

8g,    Imperial    Observatory,    One    of   Pekin's    famous 
Sights  on  the  Eastern  Wall. 

This  famous  observatory,  called  Kwang-hsiang-t'ai  by 
the  Chinese,  is  mentioned  by  all  writers  on  Pekin.  It  is 
visited  by  all  who  desire  to  see  the  most  interesting  things 
about  the  northern  capital.  The  occupation  of  the  city 
by  the  Allies  during  the  Boxer  war  has  brought  this  old 
observatory  into  still  greater  fame.  If  you  have  expected 
to  find  a  great  imposing  structure  like  those  you  may  have 
seen  for  astronomical  purposes  in  Western  countries  you 
must  be  disappointed.  It  is  not  the  building  that  is  no- 
table ;  in  fact  you  may  now  see  there  is  no  building,  only 
a  terrace  or  a  tower  built  into  the  wall  and  some  fifteen 
feet  above  it.  On  the  top  of  this  tower  are  placed  the 
astronomical  instruments  that  are  considered  so  wonder- 
ful. Here  we  see  them  only  at  a  distance,  and  they  ao- 
pear  small. 


CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  323 

Soon  we  shall  go  nearer  where  we  can  study  them  in 
more  detail;  but  it  is  not  the  instruments  in  themselves 
which  we  are  to  consider ;  we  must  remember  the  time  at 
which  they  were  made.  Those  we  see  on  top  of  the 
tower,  a  magnificent  bronze  celestial  globe,  a  sextant,  a 
sun-dial  and  quadrants,  were  all  made  in  1674  by  order  of 
the  Emperor  Kanghi,  under  the  direction  of  the  Jesuit 
Father,  F.  Verbiest,  who  was  at  that  time  President  of  the 
Board  of  Works.  The  large  azimuth  instrument  at  the 
left  was  a  present  from  Louis  XIV  to  Emperor  Kanghi. 
T.hose  instruments  were  made  over  two  hundred  years 
ago,  and  when  we  look  at  them  we  are  astonished  no  less 
by  the  scientific  knowledge  displayed  than  by  the  mar- 
velous mechanical  skill  requisite  for  their  construction. 
We  are  still  more  astonished  when  we  go  to  a  court  below 
at  the  left  hand  of  the  tower  and  find  three  instruments 
made  altogether  by  the  Chinese,  two  planispheres  and  an 
astrolabe,  made  nearly  four  hundred  years  before  Kanghi 
gave  his  imperial  order  for  those  we  see  on  the  tower. 
You  may  remember  when  we  started  out  on  our  itinerary 
I  observed  that  in  China  one  is  constantly  in  a  two-fold 
state  of  mind,  that  of  admiration  and  that  of  disgust.  In 
looking  at  these  astronomical  instruments  made  over  two 
hundred  years  ago  and  some  of  them  over  six  hundred 
years  ago,  we  are  once  more  stirred  with  admiration.  But 
for  the  other  state  of  mind  we  have  only  to  look  around  us 
here  to  see  the  usual  neglect  and  dilapidation,  the  wall  in 
ruins  and  overgrown  with  weeds  and  shrubbery. 

There  sits  a  native  before  us  with  his  closely  shaven 


324  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

pate  defying  the  fiercest  sun-rays;  and  lest  you  should 
take  him  to  be  an  astronomer  who  has  wandered  a  little 
from  his  instruments  to  ponder  some  profound  astronom- 
ical problem,  I  will  have  to  tell  you  he  is  only  my  porter 
waiting  my  next  movement  which  will  be  to  the  top  of  the 
tower  for  a  nearer  inspection  of  the  famous  instruments. 

go.  Magnificent  Bronze  Astronomical  Instrumenta 
made  in  1674,  under  JEimperor  Kanghi,  Impe- 
rial Observatory,  Pekin. 

We  have  come  to  this  point  to  see  partially  several  in- 
struments made  by  the  Jesuits,  rather  than  to  see  an  entire 
single  instrument.  A  portion  of  one  of  the  many  orna- 
mental dragons  upon  which  the  instruments  are  mounted 
is  very  near,  so  that  we  are  able  to  inspect  details,  though 
of  course  this  is  only  for  decoration  and  does  not  show 
the  delicate  mathematical  accuracy  of  the  instruments. 
In  the  court  below  the  instruments  made  by  the  Chinese 
themselves,  not  only  antedate  these  Jesuit-made  instru- 
ments by  over  four  hundred  years,  but  are  much  finer  in 
scientific  and  artistic  workmanship.  A  quite  full  and 
careful  description  of  them  by  J.  Thompson,  F.R.C.S., 
will  give  you  a  good  idea  of  their  merit  as  well  as  of  their 
exquisite  handicraft;  so  while  we  look  at  those  of  the 
Jesuits  we  will  hear  about  those  of  the  Chinese :  "  Here, 
in  addition  to  the  colossal  astronomical  instrument  erected 
by  the  Jesuit  Missionaries  in  the  seventeenth  century  we 
find  two  other  instruments,  in  a  court  below,  which  the 
Chinese  made  for  themselves,  toward  the  close  of  the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  325 

thirteenth  century,  when  the  Yuen  dynasty  was  on  the 
throne.  Possibly  some  elements  of  European  science 
may  have  been  brought  to  bear  on  the  construction  of 
even  these  instruments ;  although  the  characters  and  di- 
visions engraved  on  their  splendid  bronze  circles  point 
only  to  the  Chinese  method  of  dividing  the  year,  and  to 
the  state  of  Chinese  astronomy  at  the  time.  Yet  Marco 
Polo  must  have  been  in  the  north  of  China  at  about  the 
period  of  their  manufacture;  or,  at  any  rate,  John  de 
Carvino  was  there,  for  he,  under  Pope  Clement  V,  be- 
came bishop  of  Cambalu  (Pekin)  about  1290  A.  D.,  and 
perhaps  with  his  numerous  staff  of  priests  he  introduced 
some  knowledge  of  Western  art. 

"  Mr.  Wylie  (than  whom  there  is  probably  no  better  au- 
thority) was  with  me  when  I  examined  these  instruments, 
and  is  of  opinion  that  they  are  Chinese  and  that  they  were 
produced  by  Ko-Show-King,  one  of  the  most  famous  as- 
tronomers of  China.  One  of  them  is  an  astrolabe,  fur- 
nished beneath  with  a  splendid  sun-dial,  which  has  long 
since  lost  its  gnomon.  The  whole,  indeed,  consists  of 
three  astrolabae,  one  partly  movable  and  partly  fixed  in 
the  plane  of  the  ecliptic ;  the  second  turning  on  a  center  as 
a  meridian  circle,  and  the  third  the  azimuth  circle.  The 
other  instrument  is  an  armillary  sphere,  supported  by 
chained  dragons  of  most  beautiful  workmanship  and  de- 
sign. This  instrument  is  a  marvelous  specimen  of  the 
perfection  to  which  the  Chinese  must,  even  then,  have 
brought  the  art  of  casting  in  bronze.  T,he  horizon  is  in- 
scribed with  the  twelve  cyclical  characters,  into  which  the 


326  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

Chinese  divided  the  day  and  night.  Outside  the  ring 
these  characters  appear  again,  paired  with  eight  characters 
of  the  denary  cycle,  and  four  names  of  the  eight  diagrams 
of  the  book  of  changes,  denoting  the  points  of  the  com- 
pass, while  the  inside  of  the  ring  bears  the  names  of  the 
twelve  states  into  which  China,  in  ancient  times,  was  por- 
tioned out.  An  equatorial  circle,  a  double-ring  ecliptic, 
an  equinoctial  colure,  and  a  double-ring  colure,  are  ad- 
justed with  the  horizon  ring.  The  equator  is  engraved 
with  constellations  of  unknown  antiquity,  while  the  eclip- 
tic is  marked  off  into  twenty-four  equal  spaces,  corre- 
sponding to  the  divisions  of  the  year.  All  the  circles  are 
divided  into  365 J'^  degrees  for  the  days  of  the  year,  while 
each  degree  is  sub-divided  into  one  hundred  parts,  as  for 
everything  less  than  a  degree  the  centenary  scale  prevailed 
at  that  period.  I  take  these  instruments  to  be  of  great 
interest,  as  indicating  the  state  of  astronomical  science  in 
China  at  about  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century." 

When  we  witness  such  perfection  in  art  and  such  ad- 
vancement in  science,  we  must  not  forget  that  the  above- 
described  instruments  were  made  nearly  four  hundred 
years  before  the  Greenwich  Observatory  was  founded 
and  two  hundred  years  before  Columbus  discovered 
America,  and  that  even  a  thousand  years  prior  to  that 
time  China  was  a  civilized  nation. 

Some  of  the  instruments  before  us  were  taken  by  the 
German  officers  to  Berlin,  and  apparently  are  to  remain 
there  permanently.  The  Chinese  do  not  seem  to  care 
enough  for  them  to  insist  on  their  return. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  327 

We  have  been  giving  attention  to  circumstances  of  war, 
to  palaces,  to  temples,  memorial  portals  and  astronomical 
instruments ;  now  let  me  present  to  you  an  assemblage  of 
Pekinese  women  near  the  London  Mission.  The  London 
Mission  is  located  on  the  east  side  of  Von  Ketteler  street, 
about  one  mile  north  of  the  Ha-ta  Gate.  See  the  number 
32  in  black  on  the  map. 

gi.    A  Group  of  Pekinese  Women  in  the   Court  of  a. 
Wealthy  Chinese  Home,  Pekin. 

As  a  type  of  South  China,  you  saw  the  Bible  woman  at 
Canton,  and  of  Middle  China,  you  saw  a  class  of  pretty 
girls  at  Shanghai,  and  as  a  representation  from  the  north 
we  offer  these  Christianized  women  under  the  London 
Mission.  An  opinion  prevails  that  the  Chinese  are  a 
dwarfed  race;  in  this  respect,  they  seem,  and  not  unnat- 
urally, to  be  confounded  with  the  Japanese.  It  is  a  mis- 
take, however;  the  highest  authority  places  the  men  in 
the  north  of  China  as  being  a  little  larger  than  the  average 
European  or  American,  and  those  at  the  south  as  a  trifle 
smaller,  while  the  average  Chinese  woman  is  smaller  than 
the  average  of  her  sex  in  the  West.  The  scarcity  of 
beauty  among  Chinese  women  is  remarked  by  every  ob- 
server ;  most  persons  forget,  however,  that  all  of  the  male 
sex  are  everywhere  on  view,  while  only  the  lower  class 
among  women  are  seen  by  the  ordinary  observer.  Befor^^ 
a  fair  comparison  can  be  made  we  must  hide  away  from 
public  view  an  equal  proportion  of  Western  beauty.  We 
know,  in  China,  all  beauty  is  jealously  screened  from  vul- 


328  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

gar  gaze,  while  the  opposite  is  true  in  Western  countries. 
In  general,  it  is  readily  conceded  that  the  Caucasian  face 
and  figure  are  more  comely  than  those  of  the  Mongolian. 
The  flat  nose  detracts  much  from  the  facial  beauty  of  the 
Chinese.  Roman  or  Greek  noses  would  effect  a  marvel- 
ous alteration  in  their  faces.  Next  to  the  depressed  nasal 
feature,  the  ill-shaped  mouth  mars  the  Chinese  face;  the 
angular  eyes  do  not  seriously  disparage  their  appearance. 
And  I  am  not  sure  but  the  usual  sadness  of  the  female 
face  in  China  detracts  more  from  its  attractiveness  than 
aught  else.  A  smile  improves  every  face,  but  it  altogether 
transforms  a  Chinese  woman's  face.  Poor  things,  they 
have  little  reason  to  smile!  They  are  enslaved  and  im- 
prisoned ! 

A  friend  said  to  me :  "  How  is  courtship  perpetrated  in 
China  ?  "  Well,  all  people  are  interested  in  matrimony, 
barring  possibly  thoroughly  confirmed  old  bachelors ;  and 
as  Chinese  matrimonial  customs  are  curious  I  cannot  do 
better  than  to  give  some  interesting  and  reliable  state- 
ments from  Williams's  "  Middle  Kingdom." 

*'  There  are  six  ceremonies  which  constitute  a  regular 
marriage,  though  their  details  vary  much  in  different 
parts  of  the  Empire:  i.  The  father  and  elder  brother  of 
the  young  man  send  a  go-between  to  the  father  and 
brother  of  the  girl,  to  inquire  her  name  and  the  moment 
of  her  birth,  that  the  horoscope  may  be  examined  in  order 
to  ascertain  whether  the  proposed  alliance  will  be  a  happy 
one.  2.  If  the  eight  characters  seem  to  augur  aright,  the 
boy's  friends  send  the  mei-jin    (match-maker)   back  to 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  329 

make  an  offer  of  marriage.  3.  If  that  be  accepted,  the 
second  party  is  again  requested  to  return  an  assent  in  writ- 
ing. 4.  Presents  are  then  sent  to  the  girl's  parents  ac- 
cording to  the  means  of  the  father.  5.  The  go-between 
requests  them  to  choose  a  lucky  day  for  the  wedding.  6. 
The  preliminaries  are  concluded  by  the  bridegroom  going 
or  sending  a  party  of  friends  with  music  to  bring  his  bride 
to  his  own  house.  The  match-makers  contrive  to  mul- 
tiply their  visits  and  prolong  the  negotiations  when  the 
parties  are  rich,  to  serve  their  own  ends.  At  Fukien, 
parents  often  send  pledges  to  each  other  when  their  chil- 
dren are  mere  infants,  and  registers  containing  their 
names  and  particulars  of  nati\'ity  are  exchanged  in  testi- 
mony of  the  contract. 

"  After  this  has  been  done  it  is  impossible  to  retract  the 
engagement,  unless  one  of  the  parties  become  a  leper  or  is 
disabled.  When  the  children  are  espoused  older,  the  boy 
sometimes  accompanies  the  go-between  and  the  party 
carrying  the  presents  to  the  house  of  his  future  mother-in- 
law,  and  receives  from  her  some  trifling  articles,  as  melon- 
seeds,  fruits,  etc.,  which  he  distributes  to  those  around. 
Among  the  presents  sent  to  the  girl  are  fruits,  money, 
vermicelli  and  a  ham,  of  which  she  gives  a  morsel  to  each 
one  of  the  party. 

"  These  articles  are  neatly  arranged,  and  the  party 
bringing  them  is  received  with  a  salute  of  fire-crackers. 
From  the  time  of  her  engagement  until  marriage  a  young 
lady  is  required  to  maintain  the  strictest  seclusion. 
.Whenever  friends  call  upon  her  parents,  she  is  expected  to 


SS'^  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

retire  to  the  inner  apartments,  and  in  all  her  actions  and 
words  guard  her  conduct  with  careful  solicitude.  .  .  . 
When  the  lucky  day  for  the  wedding  comes,  the  guests  as- 
semble in  the  bridegroom's  house  to  celebrate  it,  where 
also  sedans,  a  band  of  music  and  porters  are  in  readiness. 
The  courier  who  acts  as  guide  to  the  chair-bearers  takes 
the  lead,  and  in  order  to  prevent  the  onset  of  malicious 
demons  lurking  by  the  road,  a  baked  hog  or  large  piece 
of  pork  is  carried  in  front,  that  the  procession  may  ad- 
vance safely  while  these  hungry  souls  are  devouring  the 
meat. 

Meanwhile  the  bride  arranges  herself  in  her  best  dress 
and  richest  jewels.  Her  girlish  tresses  have  already 
been  bound  up,  and  her  hair  arranged  by  a  matron,  with 
due  formality;  an  ornamental  and  complicated  headdress 
made  of  rich  materials,  not  unlike  a  helmet  or  corona, 
often  forms  part  of  her  coiflfure.  Her  person  is  nearly 
covered  by  a  large  mantle,  over  which  is  an  enormous  hat 
like  an  umbrella,  that  descends  to  the  shoulders  and 
shades  the  whole  figure.  Thus  attired  she  takes  her  seat 
in  the  red  gilt  marriage  sedan,  called  hwa  kiao,  borne  by 
four  men,  in  which  she  is  completely  concealed.  This  is 
locked  by  her  mother  or  some  other  relative,  and  the  key 
given  to  one  of  the  bridemen,  who  hands  it  to  the  bride- 
groom or  his  representative  on  reaching  his  house.  The 
procession  is  now  arranged  with  the  addition  of  as  many 
red  boxes  and  trays  to  contain  the  wardrobe,  kitchen  uten- 
sils and  the  feast,  as  the  means  of  the  family  or  the  para- 
phernalia  require.      As   the   procession    approaches   the 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  33 1 

bridegroom's  house  the  courier  hastens  forward  to  an- 
nounce its  coming,  whereupon  the  music  strikes  up,  and 
fire-crackers  salute  her  until  she  enters  the  gate.  As  she 
approaches  the  door  the  bridegroom  conceals  himself,  but 
the  go-between  brings  forward  a  young  child  to  salute 
her,  while  going  to  seek  the  closeted  bridegroom.  He  ap- 
proaches with  becoming  gravity  and  opens  the  sedan  to 
hand  out  his  bride,  she  still  retaining  the  hat  and  mantle ; 
they  approach  the  ancestral  tablet,  which  they  reverence 
with  three  bows,  and  then  seat  themselves  at  a  table  on 
which  are  two  cups  of  spirits.  The  go-between  serves 
them,  though  the  bride  can  only  make  the  motion  of  drink- 
ing, as  the  large  hat  completely  covers  her  face.  Tjiey 
soon  retire  into  a  chamber,  where  the  husband  removes 
the  hat  and  mantle  from  his  wife  and  sees  her,  perhaps  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life.  After  he  has  considered  her  for 
some  time,  the  guests  and  friends  enter  the  room  to  sur- 
vey her,  when  each  one  is  allowed  to  express  an  opinon ; 
the  criticisms  of  the  women  are  severest,  perhaps  because 
they  remember  the  time  they  stood  in  her  unpleasant  po- 
sition. This  cruel  examination  being  over,  she  is  intro- 
duced to  her  husband's  parents  and  then  salutes  her  own." 

This  to  us  seems  a  strange  nuptial  ceremony,  but  cus- 
tom establishes  many  strange  usages,  and  many  of  our 
own  are  strange  to  those  to  whom  they  are  unfamiliar. 

Before  leaving  the  group  now  before  us,  note  carefully 
the  rich  dress,  the  neatly  and  curiously  arranged  hair  and 
ornaments,  and  the  small  feet  which  have  heretofore  been 
described.     We  will  introduce  to  you  another  group  of 


332  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

northern  women,  Chinese  subjects,  but  of  the  Manchurian 
type.  Then  you  may  see  Manchurian  feet,  Manchurian 
coiffure,  Manchurian  dress  and  features. 

ga.    A  Group  of  Mancbn  Women,  with  Typical  Head- 
dress, of  the  Itondon  Mission,  Pekin, 

T.he  long  gowns  and  peculiar  headdress  of  these  women 
stamp  them  as  Manchus.  Their  feet  were  never  bound 
and  as  a  rule  they  are  taller  than  Chinese  women. 
These  are  Christian  Manchus.  This  group  and  the 
group  of  Chinese  women  are  taken  from  among  sev- 
eral hundred  refuges  of  the  London  Mission  just  after 
the  siege  of  Pekin,  and  are  at  this  time  under  the 
faithful  guardianship  of  a  Miss  Smith.  The  Church  and 
School  property  of  the  London  Mission  was  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  the  premises  in  which  we  now  stand 
was  the  home  of  a  Boxer  leader,  and  were,  after  the  relief 
of  the  legations,  occupied  by  this  mission  and  its  host  of 
homeless  refugees  which  we  will  show  you  soon.  At  the 
request  of  Miss  Smith  the  members  of  both  groups  hur- 
ried to  their  several  apartments  to  don  their  best  gowns 
and  frills  to  appear  before  the  foreigner's  picture-making 
device.  It  seemed  to  be  their  highest  pleasure  to  do  Miss 
Smith's  will,  and  well  it  might  be;  she  had  led  them 
through  fire  and  siege  and  was  then  feeding  them  on  the 
results  of  her  zealous  efforts.  Have  you  discerned  in 
these  Manchu  faces  a  much  lighter  complexion  and  more 
prominent  noses,  and  that  their  countenances  generally  in- 
dicate greater  intellectual  capacity?     Have  you  observed 


CHINA  THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE.  333 

that  they  are  larger  physically  than  the  Chinese  women? 
And  I  must  tell  you  that  some  authorities  consider  the 
Manchus  the  most  improvable  race  in  central  Asia,  and 
possibly  on  the  Continent,  and  many  consider  their  admin- 
istration of  the  government  in  general  as  superior  to  that 
of  the  native  sovereigns,  notwithstanding  the  maladmin- 
istration of  the  present  Empress.  The  men  do  not  wear 
queues  and  the  women  do  not  bind  their  feet.  I  was  at 
once  impressed  with  the  superiority  of  those  I  met.  These 
are  really  the  descendants  of  those  vigorous  Oriental 
Northmen  who  compelled  the  Chinese  to  build  the  Great 
Wall — the  Tartars.  You  will  notice  some  difference  in 
their  dress,  a  different  style  of  shoe,  a  different  way  of 
arranging  the  hair.  They  display  a  wealth  of  richly  em- 
broidered silks  and  satins  in  their  dress,  as  do  the  Chinese 
women.  Those  shoes  appear  clumsy  and  inconvenient, 
and  those  huge  cloth-covered  blocks  for  soles  are  clumsy ; 
but  the  marvelous  fineness  of  the  embroidered  uppers 
quite  atones  for  the  heavy  soles. 

The  Manchu  women  have  shown  to  the  Chinese  women 
the  advantages  of  natural  feet  over  bound  feet  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  without  any  noticeable  effect. 
They  look  sturdy  and  unsentimental,  but  to  see  that  they 
are  not  destitute  of  the  poetic  fancy  we  need  only  refer  to 
their  ancient  books  of  poetry  in  which  we  shall  find  ex- 
pressed all  the  finer  feelings  of  the  human  heart  that  are 
found  in  poems  of  the  present  time.  I  would  like  to 
show  you  while  in  the  presence  of  these  ladies  some  verses 
of  Chinese  poetry  written  about  eight  hundred  years  be- 


334  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE, 

fore  Christ  and  freely  translated  into  English  by  the  emi- 
nent Dr.  Legge.  Poetry  and  the  fair  sex  are  so  often 
associated  that  no  better  opportunity  will  offer  for  pre- 
senting examples  of  the  former  than  when  we  are  in  the 
presence  of  the  latter.  The  great  book  of  Chinese  poems 
is  called  the  Shu  King,  and  from  it  we  g^ve  the  following 
madrigal : 

Maiden  fair,  so  sweet,  retiring, 

At  the  tryst  I  wait  for  thee ; 
Still  I  pause  in  doubt,  inquiring 

Why  thou  triflest  thus  with  me. 

Oh !  the  maid  so  coy,  so  handsome. 

Pledged  she  with  a  rosy  reed ; 
Than  the  reed  is  she  more  winsome. 

Love  with  beauty  hard  must  plead. 

In  the  meadows  sought  we  flowers. 
Thus  she  gave  me — ^beauteous,  rare ; 

Far  above  the  gift  there  towers 
The  dear  giver — lovelier,  fair ! 

And  here  is  a  little  poem  called  Kan-tang,  or  the 
"  Sweet  Pear  Tree,"  written  by  a  contemporary  of  Saul, 
and  which  seems  to  be  an  exact  counterpart  of  "  Wood- 
man Spare  That  Tree  " : 

I.    O  fell  not  the  sweet  pear-tree! 
See  how  its  branches  spread. 
Spoil  not  its  shade. 
For  Shao's  chief  laid 
Beneath  his  weary  head. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE,  335 

2.  O  clip  not  that  sweet  pear-tree! 
Each  twig  and  leaflet  spare — 
'Tis  sacred  now, 

Since  the  lord  of  Shao, 
When  weary,  rested  him  there. 

3.  O  touch  not  that  sweet  pear-tree ! 
Bend  not  a  twig  of  it  now ; 
There  long  ago, 

As  the  stories  show 

Oft  halted  the  chief  of  Shao, 

The  following  are  two  stanzas  directed  against  a  certain 
Mrs.  Pao  Sz,  a  mischief-maker  in  the  court  of  King  Yu ; 
they  give  a  wicked  thrust  at  the  poor  women  folk  by  some 
disgruntled  member  of  the  long-haired  fraternity  who 
lived  over  seven  hundred  years  B.  C. — or  may  be  they  are 
by  a  rustic  poet  in  the  Province  of  Kwei-Chow  where  the 
custom  of  the  Couvade  prevails.  The  Couvade  is  the  cus- 
tom whereby  a  mother  gets  up  at  once  after  the  birth  of 
a  child  and  performs  her  usual  work,  while  the  father 
takes  to  bed  for  a  month  with  the  baby. 

A  wise  man  builds  the  city  wall, 

But  a  wise  woman  throws  it  down. 
Wise  is  she  ?    Good  you  may  her  call ; 

She  is  an  owl  we  would  disown! 
To  woman's  tongue  let  scope  be  given 

And  step  by  step  to  harm  it  leads. 
Disorder  does  not  come  from  Heaven; 

'Tis  woman's  tongue  disorder  breeds. 
Women  and  Eunuchs!  Never  came 
Lesson  or  warning  words  from  them ! 


336  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

Hurtful  and  false,  their  spite  they  wreak 
And  when  exposed  their  falsehood  lies — 

The  wrong  they  do  not  own,  but  sneak 
And  say,  "  No  harm  did  we  devise." 


The  Chinese  women  we  saw  a  few  minutes  ago  have 
gone  to  the  ruins  of  the  London  Mission,  a  short  distance 
in  the  rear  of  this  place ;  these  Manchu  women  now  go  to 
the  same  place,  and  we  shall  follow.  There  we  shall  find 
assembled  about  the  ruins  of  the  church  and  school  sev- 
eral hundred  members  of  the  Mission. 

95.  Miss  Stnitb,  a  Heroine  of  the  Siege,  and  Protected 
Refugees,  among  the  Ruins  of  the  I^ondon  Mis- 
sion Schools,  Pekin. 

We  are  in  the  presence  of  a  host  of  homeless  human  be- 
ings all  depending  for  food  and  shelter  upon  the  noble 
little  woman  seated  near  the  front  with  a  child  by  her  side. 
There  are  men  and  women,  young  and  old.  All  these 
were  sheltered  and  fed  within  the  English  Legation  dur- 
ing two  of  the  longest  months  which  any  of  them  have 
ever  experienced.  All  within  the  Legation  were  saved; 
but  all  were  not  within  that  nobly  defended  fortress. 
Many  friends  and  kin  of  these  poor  people  were  not  so 
fortunate,  but  were  mercilessly  slain  by  the  bloodthirsty 
Boxers. 

When  Miss  Smith,  at  my  request,  seated  herself  in 
front  of  her  flock  I  asked  her  to  have  a  native  child  stand 
by  her  side;   not  wishing  to  give  the  appearance  of  any 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  337 

partiality  in  such  a  choice,  she  asked  me  to  choose  one. 
From  the  first  line  where  you  see  the  children  I  brought 
the  child  that  now  stands  at  her  side.  "  Why,  how 
strange,"  exclaims  Miss  Smith,  "  that  you  have  brought  to 
me  this  poor  little  thing  that  is  the  object  of  my  tenderest 
love  and  sympathy !  Do  you  know,"  she  continued,  "  that 
both  the  father  and  mother  of  this  little  one  were  not  only 
killed,  but  were  dismembered  and  horribly  chopped  to 
pieces ;  her  parents  are  gone,  and  all  her  friends  are  gone ; 
there  is  no  one  left  to  look  after  her,  and  she  is  very  dear 
to  me."  These  are  the  tender  motherly  words  of  the 
woman,  who,  when  the  shells  were  crashing  into  the  Lega- 
tion, was  as  brave  as  she  was  loving  after  the  Allies  had 
brought  safety — another  evidence  to  prove,  if  proof  were 
necessary,  that  tenderest  hearts  are  bravest. 

The  women  and  children  are  assembled  here  on  the 
ruins  of  the  burned  church ;  the  men  stand  by  themselves 
farther  away.  The  burned  school  buildings  are  beyond 
the  men.  Can  you  see  among  the  group  of  women  some 
of  the  Chinese  and  Manchu  women  we  have  already  seen  ? 
These  Christian  converts  seemed  to  be  deeply  grateful  to- 
ward Miss  Smith.  There  stood  in  the  court  in  which  we 
saw  the  Chinese  and  Manchurian  women,  five  silk  um- 
brellas which  they  and  their  friends  had  presented  to  her 
as  evidences  of  their  gratitude,  for,  as  previously  ex- 
plained, the  umbrella  is  the  usual  object  given  in  token  of 
especial  regard.  We  might  say  that,  as  a  present,  the  um- 
brella is  the  "  loving  cup  "  of  China. 

In  this  same  court  where  these  honorary  umbrellas 


338  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

stood  and  where  were  the  groups  of  Chinese  and  Manchu 
ladies,  I  met  Prince  Su,  whose  palace  and  property  were 
turned  over  to  the  beleaguered  Legationers ;  he  had 
proved  from  the  beginning  a  friend  to  all  the  foreigners, 
and  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the  people  of  the  Lon- 
don Mission.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance  and  seems 
to  delight  in  mingling  with  foreigners.  He  quite  readily 
granted  me  a  sitting  for  a  stereoscopic  photograph,  and 
presented  me  with  his  card,  explaining  at  the  same  time 
that  it  is  not  customary  for  a  Chinese  prince  to  use  cards, 
though  on  account  of  his  intimate  relations  with  many 
foreigners  he  found  it  convenient  to  deviate  from  court 
usage.    Instead  of  showing  you  his  picture  I  give  below  a 


VISITING  CARD  OF  PRINCE  8U. 


representation  of  his  card,  but  I  cannot  give  the  full  size, 
which  is  its  most  curious  feature,  being  four  and  one-half 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  339 

by  ten  inches,  and  made  of  thin  red  paper,  much  like  fire- 
cracker paper.  It  is  very  possible  that  Prince  Su  will  be 
appointed  Chinese  Secretary  of  State  in  the  new  organiza- 
tion of  the  government. 

You  have,  no  doubt,  noticed  the  gentleman  seated  near 
Miss  Smith ;  that  is  the  Rev.  Joseph  Stonehouse  of  the 
Mission,  who  had  spent  over  twenty  years  in  mission 
work  in  China.  1  met  him  on  several  occasions  and  found 
him  a  very  amiable  gentleman  and  zealous  worker;  and 
only  a  short  time  after  I  met  him  here,  Mr.  Stonehouse 
was  visiting  some  of  the  mission  stations  not  far  from 
Yang-tsun  when  he  was  set  upon  by  armed  natives,  pre- 
sumably Boxers,  while  crossing  a  river  in  a  large  ferry- 
boat. Five  bullets  were  fired  into  his  body  while  he 
crouched  helplessly  beneath  his  travelling  cart.  His  mur- 
derers fled ;  his  body  was  cared  for  by  native  Christians 
in  the  place  where  the  murder  occurred.  Cavalry  was  at 
once  dispatched  from  Yang-tsun,  and  the  villages  near 
the  place  were  burned,  but  the  bloodthirsty  and  unreason- 
ing assassins  were  never  found.  The  London  Mission 
was  splendidly  equipped  for  service.  Their  work  was 
prosperous  when  the  Boxer  war  broke  out  and  their  fine 
premises  were  reduced  to  the  condition  seen  before  us. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  place  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Pekin  is  the  Summer  Palace  of  the  Empress 
among  the  western  hills,  some  thirteen  miles  westward. 
As  already  stated  I  made  the  journey  on  foot  and  in  a 
single  day,  which  is  a  little  too  much  for  a  pleasure  trip. 
A  trip  there  in  memory  is  much  easier  and  quicker.     I 


34°  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

remember  very  distinctly  passing  over  a  level  plain,  along 
a  road  flagged  with  large  square  stones,  past  little  villages 
of  brick  houses  with  tile  roofs,  and  by  waving  fields  of 
millet,  till  I  reached  the  western  hills,  at  the  base  of  which 
i  encountered  a  small  lake  fed  by  mountain  streams.  The 
lake  and  the  Imperial  grounds  are  surrounded  by  a  high 
wall.  I  passed  within  the  wall  and  around  one  side  of  the 
lake  and  over  a  beautiful  marble  bridge  to  a  small  island 
on  the  lake  on  which  are  erected  gates,  temples,  pavilions 
and  rockeries.  You  may  now  stand  with  me  by  one  of 
the  summer-houses  and  look  across  the  lake  toward  the 
many  indescribable  structures  on  the  opposite  shore. 

Turning  to  Map  No.  2,  "  Eastern  China,"  we  find  our 
red  route  line  extending  northwest  of  Pekin  to  the  loca- 
tion of  the  Summer  Palace. 

94.  Wan-Shou-Shan  (Hill  of  Ten  Thousand  Ages) 
Summer  Palace  of  the  impress,  from  Island  in 
I,ahe  Kun-Ming-Hu,  near  Pekin. 

This  Imperial  retreat  is  called  Wan-Shou-Shan,  which 
signifies  Hill  of  Ten  Thousand  Ages,  and  has  been  used 
as  the  summer  residence  of  the  Empress  since  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  original  Summer  Palace  at  Yuen-Ming- Yuen, 
which  lies  a  mile  to  the  north  of  this  place.  Yuen-Ming- 
Yuen  was  destroyed  by  a  former  invasion  of  "  Allies  "  in 
i860.  Before  its  destruction  it  was  a  magnificent  place 
four  and  one-half  miles  in  circumference,  covered  with  all 
sorts  of  beautiful  and  luxurious  structures.  Since  its 
demolition  by  the  Allies  in  i860  it  has  only  partially  been 


CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  34I 

restored  and  Wan-Shou-Shan  continues  to  be  the  Sum- 
mer Palace.  From  this  point  you  are  able  to  look  across 
the  small  lake  from  an  island  near  the  south  shore.  You 
know  that  the  Palace  in  Pekin  was  a  city  of  itself,  a  For- 
bidden City,  rather  than  one  palatial  structure.  We  find 
the  same  here — almost  a  small  city  forming  an  amphi- 
theater on  the  southern  slope  of  the  hill  and  around  the 
w^estern  shore  of  the  lake.  Our  field  of  vision  includes 
only  a  section  of  the  numerous  buildings  that  extend  for 
nearl}-  a  half  mile  along  the  shore  of  the  lake.  The  slope 
of  the  hill  and  the  edge  of  the  lake  is  covered  with  trees 
and  studded  with  villas  and  arcades.  OflF  to  the  right, 
but  not  within  our  range  of  vision  are  landing  stages,  near 
which  are  moored  row-boats,  sail-boats  and  two  small 
steam  yachts,  all  toys  of  the  Empress.  The  most  con- 
spicuous object  before  us  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake 
is  a  gigantic  structure  or  terrace  built  of  solid  masonry, 
and  ascended  on  either  side  by  stone  stairways,  which  are 
shown  on  that  perpendicular  wall  by  the  dark  lines.  The 
terrace  is  surmounted  by  a  huge  tower,  temple  or  pagoda. 
It  has  been  called  a  temple,  but  I  could  find  no  one  on  the 
grounds  who  knew  its  purpose.  I  would  naturally  con- 
sider it  an  Imperial  out-look  tower.  It  is  covered  with 
glazed  yellow  tile  and  can  be  seen  sparkling  in  the  sun  at 
a  great  distance.  Later,  before  leaving  the  Summer  Pal- 
ace, we  shall  pass  around  the  lake  and  ascend  the  hill  to 
the  left  of  that  tower  near  the  wall.  We  shall  stand  just 
before  that  bush  by  the  wall,  on  a  line  with  the  tower 
Vv  here  we  can  obtain  a  near  view. 


342  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

There  is  a  pretty  pavilion  at  our  right  hand,  and  the 
massive  rail  before  us  surrounds  it.  The  pavilion  is  of 
white  marble  ornamented  with  peculiar  designs,  chief  of 
which  is,  of  course,  the  dragon.  Beyond  the  rail  rising 
from  the  edge  of  the  water  is  an  artificial  rockery,  in  the 
construction  of  which  the  Chinese  show  unusual  skill. 

When  I  started  for  the  Summer  Palace  in  the  convey- 
ance afore  mentioned  and  found  I  could  not  sustain  the 
shock  of  a  Pekinese  cart,  I  picked  up  on  the  street  two 
coolies  to  carry  my  outfit ;  they  are  here  before  us,  one  on 
the  rockery  and  one  on  the  rail.  One  of  these  fellows  was 
unequal  to  the  walk  of  twenty-six  miles  and  gave  out  on 
the  return  when  we  were  within  two  miles  of  my  quar- 
ters. It  was  after  ten  o'clock,  on  a  dark  night,  before  we 
got  within  the  city  walls.  The  one  coolie  who  was  en- 
tirely exhausted  lagged  behind,  and  in  the  darkness 
turned  into  a  side  alley  with  the  evident  intention  of  se- 
creting himself  and  retaining  my  valuable  apparatus. 
When  he  seemed  to  be  suspiciously  far  behind  I  ran  back 
to  the  end  of  the  by-way  up  which  I  knew  he  must  have 
gone,  and,  hearing  a  slight  noise  in  that  direction,  I  dashed 
on  in  the  darkness  and  overtook  him  just  as  he  was  en- 
tering a  small  native  house.  I  collared  him,  brought  him 
into  tlie  alley,  took  my  apparatus  and  left  him  there.  He 
never  afterwards  appeared  to  claim  his  day's  hire. 

To  reach  the  mainland  from  this  pretty  islet  we  cross 
a  beautiful  bridge  at  which  we  will  also  stop  for  a  mo- 
ment. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  343 

gs.    MagnMcent  Marble  Bridge  at  the  Imperial  Snm- 
mer  Palace,  near  Pekin. 

This  fine  bridge  contains  seventeen  arches  and  is  made 
largely  of  marble.  The  workmanship  is  superior ;  the  long 
line  of  figures  on  the  rail  show  much  labor  and  consider- 
able skill.  A  few  glances  only  about  the  Summer  Palace 
will  tell  us  why  the  Empress  spends  so  little  of  her  time 
within  the  prison-like  confines  of  the  Forbidden  City. 
Here  there  are  crystal  springs  and  mountain  breezes  and 
commanding  prospects,  all  that  nature  and  art  can  add  to 
make  the  surroundings  attractive.  At  the  time  I  was  here 
the  grounds  were  deserted,  except  by  a  few  foreign  sol- 
diers who  were  guarding  the  entrance,  and  an  occasional 
group  of  visitors  who  had  gained  permission  to  visit  the 
ground.  In  ordinary  times  the  public  is  excluded  as  rig- 
orously as  at  the  Sacred  City.  When  the  Court  occupies 
the  Palace  this  bridge  and  the  lake  are  not  so  devoid  of 
life;  then  the  water  is  dotted  with  row-boats,  and  sail- 
boats, and  the  entire  royal  area  within  the  wall,  as  well 
as  the  villages  outside  where  servants  live,  is  full  of  ac- 
tivity. You  can  better  understand  the  populousness  of 
the  place  when  T  tell  you  that  the  Emperor  is  entitled  to 
three  thousand  eunuchs,  but  the  actual  number  employed 
is  about  two  thousand.  These  eunuchs  perform  the  work 
of  the  household.  The  number  of  females  in  the  harem  is 
not  known,  but  it  would  probably  far  exceed  the  plurality 
of  wives  accredited  to  the  celebrated  Mormon  prophet. 
The  Court,  with  all  its  multifarious  service  and  functions, 
must  embrace  a  population  of  many  thousands.     From 


344  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

this  bridge  the  lake  extends  a  half-mile  in  either  direc- 
tion, and  the  mountain  slopes  outside  the  Imperial  domain 
are  dotted  with  temples  and  homes  of  noted  Chinamen. 

As  I  walked  across  this  bridge  I  found  at  the  farther 
end  the  figure  of  a  cow  cast  in  bronze  and  mounted  on  a 
base  of  stone.  In  my  walk  of  a  mile  about  the  lake  I 
passed  many  curious  structures,  all  showing  unmistakable 
signs  of  the  looter  and  the  iconoclast.  For  our  final  look 
at  Wan-Shou-Shan  we  climb  the  hill  to  the  point  men- 
tioned from  our  first  position. 

g6.  Grand  Porcelain  Tower,  One  of  the  Splendid 
Buildings  of  the  Imperial  Summer  Palace,  near 
Pekin. 

Here  we  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  great  porcelain 
tower  which  overlooks  the  entire  plain  lying  between  us 
and  Pekin.  It  is  a  vast  creation  of  stone  and  tile  and 
decorative  work  after  the  Chinese  fashion.  I  entered  and 
ascended  to  the  top,  expecting  to  find  something  to  reveal 
its  purpose;  but  found  nothing  to  show  that  its  use  is 
for  aught  else  than  an  observation  tower.  Indeed,  there 
were  many  buildings  about  the  grounds  whose  use  could 
not  be  determined  by  their  appearance ;  many  of  them,  no 
doubt,  the  outcome  of  Imperial  whims  or  fancies.  Not- 
withstanding "  the  divinity  that  doth  hedge  a  king,"  he 
is  subject  to  human  ambitions  like  other  mortals.  Royalty 
is  certainly  somewhat  expensive!  Here  is  a  populous 
city,  there  is  another  at  Yuen-Ming- Yuen,  the  Forbidden 
City  is  another  and  then  the  private  palace  outside  the 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  345 

Forbidden  City;  all  these  exist  to  gratify  the  cruel  and 
unscrupulous  vanity  of  an  old  Manchu  woman.  Millions 
are  starving,  and  the  one  arch-mischief-maker  sports  four 
palaces,  and  three  of  these  are  verily  cities,  and  all,  we 
may  say,  for  her  personal  luxury.  The  pomp  and  the 
palaces,  of  course,  help  on  the  '  divinity  that  doth  hedge," 
etc.,  and  if  the  suffering  masses  can  be  kept  in  ignorance 
the  "  divinity  "  can  be  maintained — millions  upon  millions 
for  the  maintenance  of  a  Christian-killing  Empress,  while 
thousands  upon  thousands  are  starving  in  honest  poverty. 
Look  upon  these  multiplied  palaces  and  palace  luxuries 
and  then  witness  the  staring  eyes  of  starvation  in  the 
"  dying  place  "  at  Canton.  It  does  not  require  the  "  hedg- 
ing of  divinity  "  to  make  an  intelligent  and  democratic 
people  love  and  honor  a  Washington,  a  Lincoln  or  a  Mc- 
Kinley ;  and  in  this  respect  what  is  true  of  China  may  be 
true  of  all  monarchical  or  monarch-supporting  govern- 
ments. Democracy  elects  fitness  for  sovereignty,  but  em- 
pires inherit  the  next  in  line — many  times  unfit  to  rule; 
then  comes  the  necessity  for  hedging  with  divinity.  We 
did  not  love  dear  "  Old  Abe  "  less  because  he  was  not 
housed  in  a  congeries  of  palaces,  or  because  his  beloved 
personality  was  not  "  hedged  "  by  lese-majeste.  But  if 
we  linger  in  this  line  of  thought  before  this  great  porce- 
lain tower  we  shall  soon  be  calling  it  a  tower  of  shame. 
At  the  right  of  the  tower  we  can  see  the  plain  over  which 
we  must  pass  to  reach  Pekin ;  only  for  the  hazy  atmos- 
phere we  could  faintly  discern  the  outlines  of  the  city  thir- 


346  CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

teen  miles  away.     Now  let  us  climb  down  this  steep  hill- 
side and  wend  our  way  back  to  the  quaint  old  capital. 

A  few  days  after  my  return  from  this  Summer  Palace 
to  Pekin,  during  a  casual  visit  to  the  United  States  Lega- 
tion, I  found  Minister  Conger  preparing  to  set  out  on  an 
official  visit  in  his  official  chair. 

gij.  Minister  Conger  leaving  the  I^egation  in  His  OfG.- 
cial  Chair,  which  is  always  used  in  making 
Omcial  Calls,  Pekin, 

At  the  Legation  Minister  Conger  kindly  consented  to 
allow  me  to  make  a  picture  of  himself  and  his  secretaries 
in  the  Legation  rooms.  It  was  during  this  sitting  that 
our  popular  Minister  spoke  of  going  out  in  his  official 
chair,  when  it  occurred  to  me  that  to  see  him  leaving  the 
grounds  would  be  interesting,  as  showing  the  formalities 
which  must  be  observed  at  the  Court  of  Pekin.  It  brings 
to  mind  also,  that  among  the  many  different  branches  of 
the  government  organization,  there  is  a  ceremonial  court 
whose  duty  it  is  to  regulate  forms  to  be  observed  and  in 
marshaling  visitors  according  to  their  proper  ranks,  and 
directing  them  when  to  make  the  "  Kowtow."  The 
kowtow  is  a  formal  bowing  or  kneeling  and  has  many 
variations  or  degrees  according  to  the  rank  before  whom 
made;  before  the  Emperor  a  kowtow  consists  in  kneel- 
ing three  times  and  knocking  the  head  on  the  floor  nine 
times.  The  refusal  to  comply  with  this  formality  on  the 
part  of  foreign  officials,  has,  at  times  in  the  past,  led  to 
international  friction.     Foreigners  are  not  unwilling  to 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  347 

make  their  rounds  in  a  sedan-chair,  but  they  do  not  take 
to  the  requirements  of  kneeUng  and  whacking  their  heads 
on  the  iloor. 

Ihese  chair-bearers  have  been  waiting  for  some  time  in 
the  court  of  the  Legation.  They  are  dressed  in  distinctive 
garb  of  red  and  white,  with  regulation  hats.  An  avant- 
courier  stands  at  one  side  with  an  air  of  superiority,  and 
it  is  his  duty  to  howl  commands  for  all  to  clear  the  way 
for  the  important  occupant  of  the  chair.  The  highest 
dignitaries  are  carried  by  eight  bearers,  others  by  four, 
and  ordinary  mortals  by  two.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
sedan-chairs,  those  made  of  bamboo  for  common  people, 
and  those  elaborately  curtained  and  upholstered.  Or- 
dinary persons  are  forbidden  to  use  the  latter ;  only  those 
holding  some  rank  are  allowed  to  use  them.  In  the  cities 
chair-bearers  are  organized  into  guilds,  and  their  estab- 
lishments are  the  livery-stables  of  the  country.  In  some 
places  the  chair-bearers  arc  nicknamed  mo-mi-ma,  i.  e., 
tailless  horses. 

While  the  sedan-chair  is  a  very  primitive  conveyance, 
every  one  must  confess  it  is  one  of  the  most  luxurious, 
and  reminds  the  rider  how  well  adjusted  with  springs  is 
the  "  tailless  horse."  When  a  set  of  chair-bearers  are 
passing  through  the  narrow  streets  of  a  city  like  Canton 
they  keep  up  a  dismal  howl  that  reminds  one  of  the  ap- 
proach of  a  band  of  howling  monkeys  in  the  jungles  of 
the  Amazon ;  this  notifies  the  crowds  in  the  street  to  clear 
the  way,  but  the  warning  is  so  common  that  it  is  seldom 
heeded.    The  chair  has  the  right  of  way,  and  when  peo- 


348  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

pie  are  struck  by  it  they  do  not  seem  to  mind  it ;  their 
equanimity  can  scarcely  be  disturbed.  In  any  other  coun- 
try the  passage  of  a  sedan-chair  would,  in  a  dense  thor- 
oughfare, engender  endless  broils  and  fisticuffs. 

Mr.  Conger  is  in  the  first  chair,  and  his  secretary  is  in 
the  second.  This  official  mode  of  travelling  from  place 
to  place  shows  you  exactly  how  Baron  Von  Ketteler  was 
passing  along  the  street  which  now  bears  his  name,  his 
secretary  following,  as  Mr.  Conger's  secretary  is  follow- 
ing here,  when  foully  murdered. 

While  Mr.  Conger  obligingly  halted  for  a  moment  he 
told  me  that  if  I  could  get  a  stereograph  of  Prince  Ching 
I  would  be  scoring  a  great  success.  Now  you  may  meet 
him  whose  picture  Mr.  Conger  thought  so  desirable  and 
so  difficult  to  obtain. 

g8.  Prince  Ching,  Commander  of  the  City  Guard — 
Secret  friend  of  the  I^egationa  during  the  Siege 
— later  Peace  Commissioner,  Pekin. 

There  are  not  many  men  in  the  world  who  have  earned 
a  wider  celebrity  than  this  member  of  the  ruling  dynasty. 
Another  prince  has  earned  for  himself  an  infamy  as 
world-wide  as  this  man's  fame;  I  refer  to  Prince  Tuan 
who  was  the  head  and  inspiration  of  the  Boxer  horde, 
and  who  is  now  likely  to  reap  the  fate  which  due  retribti- 
tion  will  probably  mete  to  him,  that  is,  banishment  or 
some  other  extreme  penalty.  Prince  Ching,  who  sits  be- 
fore us.  has  always  been  favorably  disposed  toward  for- 
eigners, and  at  the  crucial  moment,  when  the  fate  of  the 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE    STEREOSCOPE.  349 

Legations  and  all  the  foreigners  in  Pekin  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  shuffling  Yamen,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  admit 
that  he  had  failed  to  convince  the  court  of  the  danger  of 
inactivity  and  that  he  was  helplesss  in  adjusting  matters. 
When  Sir  Claude  Macdonald  found  it  was  useless  to  dis- 
cuss matters  longer  with  the  vacillating  Yamen  he  de- 
manded an  interview  with  Prince  Ching,  who  stated  to 
him  frankly  that  the  government  was  not  able  to  control 
the  Boxers,  and  that  foreigners  could  not  expect  protec- 
tion either  in  Pekin  or  in  any  part  of  China.  Prince 
Ching  was  President  of  the  Tsung-li  Yamen,  and  for  his 
suspected  sympathy  with  the  foreigners  was  suddenly  re- 
moved from  the  head  of  the  Yamen  by  the  Empress,  and 
the  Boxer  chief.  Prince  Tuan,  appointed  in  his  place. 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  only  for  these  frank  and 
friendly  avowals  of  Prince  Ching  the  Legations  and  all 
the  Europeans  would  have  attempted  to  obey  the  order 
which  they  had  received  to  quit  the  capital  and  proceed  to 
Tien-tsin ;  and  this  step,  in  the  minds  of  everyone,  would 
have  resulted  in  indiscriminate  slaughter.  Can  we  won- 
der then  that  there  exists  a  kindly  feeling  toward  this  true 
prince,  or  that  when  peace  commissioners  were  to  be 
chosen  from  among  the  Chinese  to  confer  with  the  foreign 
ministers  in  the  settlement  of  the  great  question  between 
the  Empire  and  the  Allies,  that  Prince  Ching  should  be  the 
choice  of  the  nations  whose  representatives  he  had  saved  ? 
He  has  held  many  important  positions  besides  being  the 
head  of  the  Foreign  Ofifice.  In  1885  he  was  appointed 
along  with  Prince  Chun  and  Li  Hung  Chang  to  take  con- 


35°  CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE. 

trol  of  naval  affairs,  and  now  he  has  been  coupled  with 
China's  famous  statesman  and  viceroy  in  the  adjudication 
of  the  Empire's  imbrogUo  with  the  world.  He  is  a  near 
relative  of  the  Emperor,  and  has  now  been  mentioned  as 
a  possible  successor  to  Li  Hung  Chang  as  Secretary  of 
State  and  Viceroy ;  being  so  important  a  personage  in  the 
affairs  of  China  and  the  world  you  can  understand  why 
our  minister  told  me  if  I  could  secure  his  photograph  I 
would  "  score  a  success,"  Along  with  an  irrepressible 
New  York  correspondent  who  had  secured  credentials  to 
Prince  Ching  from  the  Secretary  of  Li  Hung  Chang,  and, 
couriered  through  the  ramshackle  wilderness  of  the  Tar- 
tar City  by  a  native  "  boy,"  I  reached  the  palace  of  Prince 
Ching  in  the  extreme  northwestern  portion  of  the  city. 
See  number  35  in  black  on  Pekin  map.  Like  all  Chinese 
palaces  it  is  a  series  of  courts  flanked  by  low  buildings 
on  every  side.  In  an  alley  outside  we  were  met  by  the 
official  interpreter  for  the  Prince,  who  explained  to  us  that 
in  a  short  time  his  excellency  would  receive  us ;  finally  we 
were  taken  to  this  interior  court,  where  the  Prince  soon 
appeared  and  greeted  us  kindly.  The  interpreter  had,  of 
course,  already  explained  to  him  that  we  desired  his 
photograph  for  the  American  people,  who  looked  upon 
him  as  their  friend.  His  manner  is  grave  and  dignified, 
but  with  no  sign  of  official  dignity.  As  you  can  see  he  is 
of  medium  stature  and  apparently  about  seventy  years 
of  age.  His  garments  are  of  heavy  brocaded  silk ;  the 
ample  sleeves  take  the  place  of  gloves ;  a  magnificent  ruby 
within  a  circle  of  pearls  ornaments  the  front  of  his  cap. 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE  STEREOSCOPE.  35 1 

The  correspondent  asked  for  permission  to  speak  with 
his  excellency  for  a  few  minutes ;  this  was  readily  j^ranted, 
and  the  weather  beinef  chilly,  we  were  asked  to  accom- 
pany him  to  a  reception-room,  where  tea  was  at  once 
served  to  us.  I  took  along  with  me  for  his  inspection  a 
series  of  stereoscopic  photographs,  that  he  might  under- 
stand the  kind  of  picture  I  wished  to  make  of  him.  The 
interpreter  had,  meanwhile,  intimated  to  the  Prince  some- 
thing about  the  photographs  I  had  brought  to  show  him. 
He  seemed  almost  impatient  to  get  hold  of  the  stereoscope 
and  stereographs,  but  the  correspondent  had  him  im- 
meshed  in  his  catechism  for  a  time.  At  length  he  again 
glanced  inquisitively  toward  the  stereoscope,  when  I  ad- 
vanced and  adjusted  it  to  his  eyes  and  passed  a  number 
of  stereographs  through  it.  He  was  visibly  impressed 
with  the  realistic  effect;  they  were  the  first  stereoscopic 
photographs  he  had  ever  seen;  he  never  wearied  and 
scarcely  withdrew  his  head  from  the  hood  of  the  stereo- 
scope till  all  the  views  had  been  passed  through.  He 
scrutinized  the  stereoscope  to  ascertain  where  the  re- 
markable effect  came  from.  I  asked  the  interpreter  to 
tell  him  that  his  own  photograph  in  this  form  with  the 
instrument  would  be  sent  to  him. 

While  we  were  yet  sipping  our  delicious  tea  I  asked  the 
interpreter  if  his  excellency  would  not  permit  us  to  carry 
back  to  America  as  souvenirs  of  the  honor  he  had  con- 
ferred upon  us,  the  cups  from  which  we  were  drinking 
the  tea.     He  smiled  benignantly  and  ordered  the  servant 


352  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

to  bring  two  better  cups.  More  delicate  specimens  were 
soon  forthcoming,  into  which  we  poured  the  remainder 
of  our  tea  that  we  might  say  we  had  drunk  tea  from  them 
with  Prince  Ching.  The  Prince  said  he  had  not  had 
his  photograph  taken  for  eight  years  previous  to  this  time, 
when  a  Dutch  painter  made  of  him  an  oil-portrait,  which 
he  took  from  the  wall  to  show  us. 

After  thanking  him  suitably  for  his  hospitality  and  the 
patient  audience  and  sitting  he  had  given  us,  we  retired 
to  the  alley  whence  we  entered,  and  where  the  interpreter 
was  joined  by  three  members  of  the  T,sung-li  Yamen, 
whom  you  will  be  interested  in  meeting  now. 

99.  The  impress  Dowager's  Counselors  in  dealings 
with  the  Powers— Members  of  the  Tsung-li  Ya- 
men, Pekin. 

The  Chinese  government  is  administered  through  sev- 
eral branches,  such  as  the  Board  of  Civil  Office,  the  Board 
of  Revenue,  the  Board  of  Rites,  the  Board  of  War,  the 
Board  of  Punishments,  the  Board  of  Works,  etc.,  and 
only  in  recent  years  has  a  new  board  been  created  called 
the  Tsung-li  Yamen,  or  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs.  The 
whole  duty  of  the  Tsung-li  Yamen  is  to  receive  and  con- 
fer with  foreign  ministers  and  to  act  as  an  intermediary 
between  them  and  the  Court.  All  diplomatic  communica- 
tions to  the  different  Boards,  or  to  the  throne  must  be 
made  through  the  Tsung-li  Yamen.  No  foreign  minister 
can  come  before  the  Emperor  or  the  Empress.  This  con- 
dition of  affairs  is  both  inconvenient  and  offensive.     It 


CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  353 

was  painfully  exemplified  during  the  siege  of  1900  when 
this  treacherous  go-between  Board  screened  the  sinister 
motives  of  the  crafty  Empress.  In  the  peace  negotiations, 
now  signed  at  Pekin,  it  is  said  that  a  radical  alteration 
has  been  made  in  the  relations  of  the  foreign  ministers  to 
the  Court,  and  that  the  article  relating  thereto  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  The  Chinese  Government  shall  be  bound  to  reform  the 
Chinese  Foreign  Office  and  the  court  ceremonial  for  the 
reception  of  the  foreign  representatives,  and  to  do  so  in 
the  sense  which  shall  be  defined  by  the  Foreign  Powers." 

At  any  rate  you  have  before  you  three  representatives 
of  the  notorious  Chinese  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs. 
These  are  men  who  were  in  office  during  the  siege,  the  one 
seated  is  the  interpreter.  What  do  you  think  of  them  ?  I 
hope  you  will  not  fail  to  notice  the  fine  feathers  in  their 
caps,  because  I  swung  two  of  these  dignitaries  partially 
around  that  you  might  see  them.  These  are  important 
men  in  Chinese  affairs;  they  are  members  of  the  newly 
organized  Board.  How  we  would  like  to  know  just  what 
they  did  and  said  and  thought  during  those  dark  days  of 
the  siege;  being  identified  with  Prince  Ching  they,  of 
course,  pretend  that  they  were  friendly,  but  sincerity  is  a 
rare  thing  in  the  "  Middle  Kingdom,"  and  then  the  faces 
of  Chinamen  so  often  possess  a  coldness  which  dispels 
confidence. 

General  Wilson  in  his  latest  revision  of  his  book  on 
China  says  of  this  modem  Board  of  Foreign  Affairs: 
"  In  view  of  the  fact  that  none  of  the  members  of  the 


354  CHINA  THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

Board  understand  English,  or  any  other  foreign  language, 
and  none  of  the  foreign  ministers  speaks  Chinese,  all  con- 
versation must  be  carried  on  through  the  intervention  of 
official  interpreters,  and  to  prevent  mistakes  all  official 
communications  must  be  in  writing,  translated  into  the 
court  dialect,  or  literary  language  of  the  country.  As 
this  language  is  almost  an  insuperable  obstacle  to  the  gen- 
eral dissemination  of  Western  knowledge,  and  as  there  is 
no  social  intercourse  whatever  between  foreigners  and  the 
conservative  Chinese  officials  or  their  families,  it  will  read- 
ily be  seen  that  there  cannot  be  a  very  active  interchange 
of  ideas  between  them." 

A  careful  student  of  Chinese  affairs  in  Pekin  for 
many  years  said  to  me  of  the  representatives  of  the 
Tsung-li  Yamen.  The  members  of  the  Tsung-li  Yamen 
are  not  usually  chosen  because  of  their  intelligence.  It  is 
a  place  where  men  with  progressive  tendencies  are  some- 
times put  to  keep  them  in  check.  There  are  eleven  mem- 
bers and  nine  are  requisite  for  the  transaction  of  business, 
and  as  most  of  them  are  reactionary  there  is  little  hope 
that  a  man  with  progressive  spirit  will  have  any  special 
influence.  However,  there  were  two  men  of  high  courage 
in  the  summer  of  1900  who  protested  against  the  murder 
of  unarmed  foreigners,  and  for  endeavoring  to  protect  the 
helpless  these  two  men  were  beheaded.  T)ie  Yamen  has 
proved  to  be  practically  useless  for  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness, and  now  it  is  replaced  by  the  Office  of  Foreign 
Affairs.  Whether  they  will  do  any  better  remains  to  be 
seen. 


CHINA   THROUGH    THE   STEREOSCOPE.  355 

An  assemblage  of  the  representatives  of  the  great  pow- 
ers are  meeting  daily  to  discuss  the  great  questions  of  in- 
demnities, penalties  and  the  future  relations  of  the  Empire 
to  the  nations  concerned.  A  stupendous  responsibility 
devolves  upon  these  representatives.  Both  for  the  terrible 
siege  through  which  most  of  them  passed  and  for  the  im- 
portant work  they  are  doing,  it  is  both  a  pleasure  and  an 
honor  to  meet  these  noteworthy  men. 

joo.  Ministers  of  Foreign  Powers  during  Negotiations 
with  China— leaving  Spanish  legation  after  a 
sitting— Pekin. 

We  have  just  entered  the  Spanish  Legation  from  Lega- 
tion Street,  a  little  east  of  the  English  Legation.  The  ten 
foreign  ministers  are  emerging  from  the  assembly-room 
at  the  end  of  a  morning  session  and  find  themselves  con- 
fronted by  two  cameras.  Major  Conger  who  seemed  to 
enjoy  an  esteemed  seniority  among  the  ministers  and  with 
whom  a  previous  arrangement  had  been  made  for  this 
stereograph,  addressed  them  somewhat  as  follows : 

"  Gentlemen,  we  are  besieged  again !  This  time,  how- 
ever, by  a  gentleman  from  New  York  who  represents  a 
house  that  does  magnificent  photographic  work,  and  if 
you  will  halt  for  a  moment  he  will  possibly  send  us  each  a 
fine  photograph ;  now,  how  shall  we  stand,  Mr.  Pho- 
tographer ?  "  "  As  you  like,"  was  the  reply,  "  except,  do 
not  try  to  look  pretty  " ;  when  some  member  in  sotto  voce 
jocularly  rejoined :  "  We  have  enough  on  hand  without 
undertaking  greater  tasks." 


356  CHINA  THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

Thus  in  a  few  moments  this  scene  was  snatched  by  the 
sun-ray  and  registered  for  the  future  centuries  among  the 
annals  of  history.  T,he  different  members  of  this  tribunal 
of  the  nations  may  be  identified  as  follows : 

Of  those  standing  on  the  lowest  step,  Major  E.  H.  Con- 
ger (U.  S.  A.)  is  to  the  left,  Don  B.  J.  de  Cologan 
(Spain)  is  in  the  center  and  Dr.  Von  Mumm  (Germany) 
is  to  the  right.  Of  the  two  standing  on  the  second  step, 
M.  De  Giers  (Russia)  is  on  the  left  next  to  Minister  Con- 
ger and  Baron  M.  C.  De  Wallton  (Austria-Hungary)  is 
on  the  right.  On  the  next  step  back  Marquis  J.  Saloago 
Reggi  (Italy)  is  to  the  left,  directly  behind  Minister  Con- 
ger. Then  comes  Baron  Missi  (Japan)  and  M.  N.  Joos- 
tens  (Belgium).  In  the  doorway  Baron  d'A.  de  Wasser- 
wass  (France)  is  on  the  left  and  Sir  E.  Satow,  the  newly 
appointed  British  Minister,  is  on  the  right. 

The  task  of  this  diplomatic  corps  has  been  very  great, 
very  difficult  and  protracted.  It  is  impossible  for  people 
not  versed  in  diplomacy  to  comprehend  the  endless  num- 
ber of  subtle  and  perplexing  matters  that  have  demanded 
its  careful  deliberations,  and  the  whole  civilized  world  is 
its  censor.  Of  course  these  men  are  but  intermediaries 
between  their  respective  governments  and  the  Chinese 
Empire,  yet  their  duties  are  complex.  Most  of  them  en- 
dured the  privations  and  suspense  of  the  siege,  yet  a 
year's  struggle  with  perplexing  problems  awaited  them. 
Diplomacy  has  been  slow  to  learn  that  in  dealing  with  the 
Chinese  Government  confidence  is  never  safe;  the  Boxer 
uprising  is  not  the  first.     Treaties  have  been  often  made, 


CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE.  357 

but  seldom  honored,  and  now  all  the  world  wonders  what 
will  be  the  outcome  of  this  last  insurrection.  Will  China 
modernize  and  assimilate,  or  will  she  compromise  in  order 
to  gain  time  only  to  make  greater  preparation  to  debar 
the  Caucasian  of  the  West,  as  she  walled  out  the  Tartar 
from  the  North?  Time  holds  the  secrets  of  the  future, 
and  for  the  issues  of  this  great  international  settlement 
made  by  these  ministers,  we  must  wait. 

In  taking  leave  of  these  men  we  also  conclude  our 
itinerary  in  China.  We  have  passed  from  Canton  at  the 
south  to  the  devastated  capital  at  the  north.  We  have 
witnessed  in  our  wanderings  the  wretchedness  of  hopeless 
poverty  and  suffering,  and  the  stupid  and  demoralizing 
luxuries  of  wealth ;  we  have  seen  the  "  King  of  Beggars  " 
and  the  Princes  of  the  Empire;  we  have  seen  the  poor, 
burden-bearing  coolie  whose  labor  feeds  the  luxurious 
mandarin ;  we  have  seen  the  Tankia  in  their  little  floating 
homes  and  the  many  palaces  of  sovereignty.  We  have 
been  stoned  by  the  superstitious  rustics  among  the  moun- 
tains ;  we  have  "  chowed  "  with  mandarins.  We  have 
looked  upon  the  bloody  and  harrowing  circumstances  of 
war,  and  as  we  are  about  to  make  our  leave-taking  obei- 
sance before  this  ancient  contemporary  of  Egypt  and 
Babylon,  we  cannot  but  wonder  what  is  to  become  of  her. 
She  is  weak  by  reason  of  her  unpreparedness  for  defense, 
and  the  vultures  of  Western  commercialism  are  "watching 
out."  Even  now  she  has  ceased  to  be  a  sovereign  power 
when  the  allied  nations  can  dictate  enormous  indemnities 
and  the  demolition  of  her  coast  defenses  and  the  regulation 


358  CHINA   THROUGH   THE   STEREOSCOPE. 

of  her  own  internal  affairs.  Qiina  has  international  obli- 
gations to  perform ;  none  will  consider  her  blameless ;  yet 
the  various  nations  need  to  be  very  careful  that  they  do 
not  come  to  play  the  part  of  vigorous  young  bullies  maul- 
ing a  feeble  and  helpless  centenarian. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


iO^J-HEntiEWABLE 


MAR  0^ 

DUE  2  WKS  FROM 


1999 

Jf\ 

DATE  RECEIVED 


•jiri 


11399 


"■t  J  :•..■._  ^.3Rary  FACiLrv 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilll 


A     000  133  879     7 


